single out

phrasal verb

singled out; singling out; singles out

: to treat or to speak about (someone or something in a group) in a way that is different from the way one treats or speaks about others

The coach singled out the players who played poorly.

The reviewer singled her performance out for praise/criticism.

—often used as (be) singled out

She was singled out for special treatment.

Examples of single out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Lalonde singled out the line of Marco Kasper, Jonatan Berggren and Joe Veleno as a group that consistently won its shifts, notable for three of the team’s youngest forwards, but that’s a small silver lining in a shutout loss. —

Max Bultman, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024 These ten expressions are among the best whiskies the IWSC’s judging panels singled out in 2024. —

Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024 The passengers said they were singled out for removal from a flight under the guise of an odor complaint. —

Melvin Backman, Quartz, 23 Dec. 2024 She’s been singled out by a number of critics groups (winning the category from the African American Film Critics Association) and landed an Independent Spirit nomination in December. —

Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for single out