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
The mosquito-repellent system consists of three diffusers (single-use replaceable pods) that offer 330 square feet of coverage via 36 feet of warm-glow string lights.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 June 2025
And the team figured out that the policies made the most difference in places that had previously had the highest concentration of single-use bags in their shoreline trash.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 June 2025
When averaged across all of shoreline cleanup data, single-use bags made up an increasingly large proportion of the litter collected from 2016 to 2023.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 19 June 2025
The carrier was among the first to eliminate single-use plastic straws and stir sticks fleet-wide, preventing millions of tons of plastics from entering landfills annually.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 June 2025
Giving you multiple colorway options to flaunt depending on your mood, the bags are ideal for cutting down on single-use plastics, machine washable, and made out of soft cotton.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 17 June 2025
Similar to other sheet masks, the overnight product comes in packets with a single-use sheet inside, only this one isn’t made from a thin cloth-like material (and doesn’t come in one full sheet either).
—Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 17 June 2025
Julia Forbes The Best Reusable Water Bottles That Aren’t Stanley Cups
Stay hydrated in style and cut down on single-use plastic with our favorite bottles—now updated with information on lead.
—Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 16 June 2025
During the annual Hajj, millions of single-use Ihram, a white towel one wears during the pilgrimage, were sold to those who visit Mecca.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 6 June 2025
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Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 June 2025
And the team figured out that the policies made the most difference in places that had previously had the highest concentration of single-use bags in their shoreline trash.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 19 June 2025
When averaged across all of shoreline cleanup data, single-use bags made up an increasingly large proportion of the litter collected from 2016 to 2023.
—Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 19 June 2025
The carrier was among the first to eliminate single-use plastic straws and stir sticks fleet-wide, preventing millions of tons of plastics from entering landfills annually.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 June 2025
Giving you multiple colorway options to flaunt depending on your mood, the bags are ideal for cutting down on single-use plastics, machine washable, and made out of soft cotton.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 17 June 2025
Similar to other sheet masks, the overnight product comes in packets with a single-use sheet inside, only this one isn’t made from a thin cloth-like material (and doesn’t come in one full sheet either).
—Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 17 June 2025
Julia Forbes The Best Reusable Water Bottles That Aren’t Stanley Cups
Stay hydrated in style and cut down on single-use plastic with our favorite bottles—now updated with information on lead.
—Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 16 June 2025
During the annual Hajj, millions of single-use Ihram, a white towel one wears during the pilgrimage, were sold to those who visit Mecca.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Single-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-use. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
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