single-use
adjective
sin·gle-use
ˈsiŋ-gəl-ˈyüs 
variants
or less commonly single use
: intended or designed to be used once and then discarded
single-use plastics
single-use paper products
Surgical masks are single-use face coverings that are designed to act as a barrier to sneezes or other potential exchanges of germs.—
Anandi Barker
Anandi BarkerExamples of single-use in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bet: Claim a single-use SGP(x) profit boost for any college basketball game played now through the end of Sunday afternoon.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
In related news, the director of California’s recycling agency, Rachel Wagoner, helped write the single-use plastics law — before going to work for the plastics and packaging companies that critics say are attempting to derail the law.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
There are no single-use plastics in guest rooms, and food waste is composted.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2025
That’s a mountain of plastic containers, zip-top bags, and single-use items piling up in landfills.
—Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2025
Towns in Indonesia are buried in millions of pounds of single-use plastics; communities across India and Bangladesh are populated by armies of migrant laborers tasked with dismantling cruise liners and oil tankers by hand.
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Now, at first, a salad spinner might seem like a single-use kitchen gadget that takes up a lot of storage space for only one job.
—Kayleigh Drake, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
Refillable glass containers are the most sustainable packaging option for beverage companies, followed by aluminum cans (because they can be easily recycled) and then single-use glass bottles.
—Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
The best thing people can do is reduce their use of single-use materials.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
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Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
In related news, the director of California’s recycling agency, Rachel Wagoner, helped write the single-use plastics law — before going to work for the plastics and packaging companies that critics say are attempting to derail the law.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2025
There are no single-use plastics in guest rooms, and food waste is composted.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2025
That’s a mountain of plastic containers, zip-top bags, and single-use items piling up in landfills.
—Matt Rozo, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2025
Towns in Indonesia are buried in millions of pounds of single-use plastics; communities across India and Bangladesh are populated by armies of migrant laborers tasked with dismantling cruise liners and oil tankers by hand.
—Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2025
Now, at first, a salad spinner might seem like a single-use kitchen gadget that takes up a lot of storage space for only one job.
—Kayleigh Drake, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
Refillable glass containers are the most sustainable packaging option for beverage companies, followed by aluminum cans (because they can be easily recycled) and then single-use glass bottles.
—Maria Sole Campinoti, CNN, 2 Mar. 2025
The best thing people can do is reduce their use of single-use materials.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Single-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-use. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
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