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
One of the easiest places to start is the kitchen, where single-use plastics pile up quickly in everything from food containers to cleaning supplies.
—Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
The hotel is free of single-use plastics and implements measures to save water.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2025
The production also made substantial strides in reducing waste, including minimizing single-use plastics and recycling 180 metric tons of steel from its sets.
—Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Nearly half is used for single-use items.
—Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Some are reusable, and some are single-use.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
The liners, which can also be used as muffin tins, are a sustainable, plastic-free, and reusable alternative to single-use, throwaway aluminum or paper liners, and can be reused for years to come.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
The polyolefins Marks is referring to are what trash bags, plastic wrap, squeeze bottles, and other disposable single-use packaging are made of.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
The designer generously made donations up to 2 million euros to Italy’s Civil Protection and a range of Italian hospitals and institutions in the country, and converted his manufacturing sites to produce single-use smocks for the protection of health-care providers.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
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Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2025
The hotel is free of single-use plastics and implements measures to save water.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 21 Sep. 2025
The production also made substantial strides in reducing waste, including minimizing single-use plastics and recycling 180 metric tons of steel from its sets.
—Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Nearly half is used for single-use items.
—Marianne Lehnis, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Some are reusable, and some are single-use.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Sep. 2025
The liners, which can also be used as muffin tins, are a sustainable, plastic-free, and reusable alternative to single-use, throwaway aluminum or paper liners, and can be reused for years to come.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
The polyolefins Marks is referring to are what trash bags, plastic wrap, squeeze bottles, and other disposable single-use packaging are made of.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Sep. 2025
The designer generously made donations up to 2 million euros to Italy’s Civil Protection and a range of Italian hospitals and institutions in the country, and converted his manufacturing sites to produce single-use smocks for the protection of health-care providers.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Single-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-use. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
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