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

Investigators say the crew distinguished itself by going to various shopping centers and hitting virtually every store there in one fell swoop, rather than singling out one or two businesses. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025

Israeli tourists have been singled out for abuse overseas, and violent attacks on non-Israeli Jews are on the rise. —Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2025

Successful—And Still Legal—Ways to Create More Diversity However, other mechanisms are more successful in creating more diversity, and these approaches achieve this goal without singling out or targeting any one group for exclusive attention. —Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Mysteries are cropping up, dating back to the founding of the school, kids are teaming up with Good Professors to expose Evil Professors, and the headmaster is singling out the protagonist for dangerous tasks designed to kill her. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for single out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout