single-use

adjective

sin·​gle-use ˈsiŋ-gəl-ˈyüs How to pronounce single-use (audio)
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

Examples of single-use 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.
Campaigners have expressed their disappointment at the news the Department of Interior has rescinded an order made during the Biden administration to phase-out the sale of single-use plastics in national parks by 2032. Jamie Hailstone, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025 Global plastic pollution is only getting worse, especially as cheap, single-use plastics — the vast majority made from planet-heating fossil fuels — continue to flood the market. Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 23 May 2025 CalRecycle, the state agency that oversees waste management, recently proposed a new set of draft regulations to implement SB 54, the 2022 law designed to reduce California’s single-use plastic waste. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025 From straws and bags to take-out containers, single-use plastics crowd landfills and clog waterways. Aissa Dearing, JSTOR Daily, 22 May 2025 The component that needs to be present for these two to become something other than single-use plastic is great storytelling. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 20 May 2025 First, head to the brand’s site and sign up for their newsletter to receive a single-use coupon for $30 off your first order. Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 20 May 2025 There are few single-use plastics in the rooms: water is in reusable glass bottles and soft drinks are all in cans. Heather Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 18 May 2025 Local production and sourcing, upcycling, zero single-use plastic, and creative reuse are at the heart of Patina Osaka’s thoughtful sustainability efforts. Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of single-use was in 1897

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Single-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-use. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

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