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

Examples of single-use in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Taiwan's Ministry of Environment estimates the rule will eliminate more than 460 million single-use containers a year and will cut hotel plastic use by about 30 percent. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026

Saturday’s flight is a step forward for Japan in achieving the technology needed to develop a lower cost successor to the country’s current mainstay, single-use H3 series. — ABC News, 10 July 2026

Eco effort The majority of ingredients are locally sourced, toiletries are stocked in refillable bottles, and there are no single-use plastics. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 July 2026

How the Clinical Home Ecosystem Works Instead of buying single-use gadgets like an LED mask or a massage gun, buyers are now assembling a full home recovery lab. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for single-use

• avenues
• barbecues
• cockatoos
• interviews
• kangaroos
• obliquus
• overshoes
• overuse
• overviews
• residues
• revenues
• tyrannus