single

1 of 3

adjective

sin·​gle ˈsiŋ-gəl 

1

a

: not married

b

: of or relating to celibacy

2

: unaccompanied by others : lone, sole

the single survivor of the disaster

3

a(1)

: consisting of or having only one part, feature, or portion

single consonants

(2)

: consisting of one as opposed to or in contrast with many : uniform

a single standard for men and women

(3)

: consisting of only one in number

holds to a single ideal

b

: having but one whorl of petals or ray flowers

a single rose

4

a

: consisting of a separate unique whole : individual

every single citizen

b

: of, relating to, or involving only one person

5

a

: frank, honest

a single devotion

b

: exclusively attentive

an eye single to the truth

6

: unbroken, undivided

7

: having no equal or like : singular

8

: designed for the use of one person only

a single room

a single bed

single

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: a separate individual person or thing

b

: an unmarried person and especially one young and socially active

—usually used in plural

c(1)

: a recording having one short tune on each side

(2)

: a music recording having two or more tracks that is shorter than a full-length album

also : a song that is particularly popular independent of other songs on the same album or by the same artist

2

: a base hit that allows the batter to reach first base

3

a

singles plural : a tennis match or similar game with one player on each side

b

: a golf match between two players

—usually used in plural

4

: a room (as in a hotel) for one guest compare double sense 7

single

3 of 3

verb

singled; singling ˈsiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to select or distinguish from a number or group

—usually used with out

2

a

: to advance or score (a base runner) by a single

b

: to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a single

intransitive verb

: to make a single in baseball

Synonyms

Adjective

• unattached
• unmarried
• unwed

Verb

• cherry-pick
• choose
• cull
• elect
• handpick
• name
• opt (for)
• pick
• prefer
• select
• tag
• take

Examples of single in a Sentence

Adjective

A single shoe was found.

It costs $10 for a single glass of wine!

a single serving of carrots

He earns $2,000 in a single week.

Noun

He hit a single to right field.

Do you want to play singles or doubles?

Verb

He singled to right field.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Many Mauritanian residents are living in cramped quarters, with as many as 10 in a single, two-bedroom apartment, village officials say. —Terry Demio, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024

That means Trump lost $1.3 billion in net worth in a single day. —Matt Egan, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024

Noun

With the Dodgers having finally cracked through after the three miscues, World Series MVP Freddie Freeman came to the plate and hit a two-run single with the bases still loaded. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2024

Freeman was the World Series MVP, after following up his four home runs in the first four games — including his iconic walk-off grand slam in Game 1 — with a two-run single in Wednesday’s fifth inning, tying a World Series record with 12 RBIs. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

Verb

Luke Hales / Getty Images 2d ago / 8:17 PM PDT Copied Share Yanks up 11-4 after huge eighth Rohan Nadkarni Aaron Judge singled home Juan Soto after the Gleyber Torres homer to give New York an 11-4 lead headed into the ninth. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 30 Oct. 2024

Complete coverage: How the Dodgers made it to the World Series Oct. 20, 2024 Boone, batting right-handed, scored the go-ahead run in the eighth after singling in a run. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sengle, from Anglo-French, from Latin singulus one only; akin to Latin sem- one — more at same

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1628, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing single

• single-action
• single bed
• single-blind
• single bond
• single-breasted
• single combat
• single cross
• single-decker
• single-digit
• single digits
• single entry
• single father
• single figures
• single file
• single-foot
• single-handed
• single-hander
• single-hearted
• single knot
• single-lens reflex
• single malt
• single market
• single-member constituency
• single-member district
• single-minded
• single mother
• single out
• single parent
• single-payer
• single-phase
• single-space
• single tax
• single-track
• single use
• single-valued
• single wing
• with a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen

Kids Definition

single

1 of 3 adjective

sin·​gle ˈsiŋ-gəl 

1

: not married

especially : never having been married

2

: being alone : being the only one

the single survivor of the disaster

3

: consisting of one

a single standard

4

: having only one row of petals or ray flowers around the center of a blossom

a single rose

5

a

: consisting of a separate whole : individual

each single citizen

b

: of, relating to, or involving only one person

6

: being a whole

a single world

7

: designed for the use of one person only

a single room

a single bed

singleness noun

single

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a separate individual person or thing

b

: an unmarried adult

c(1)

: a recording having one short tune on each side

(2)

: a music recording having two or more tracks that is shorter than a full-length album

2

: a hit in baseball that enables a batter to reach first base safely

3

plural : a game (as of tennis) between two players

single

3 of 3 verb

singled; singling ˈsiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to select (a person or thing) from a number or group

—usually used with out

2

: to make a single in baseball