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
Nellie’s 3-Pack Swedish Dishcloths These Swedish dishcloths reduce the need for both sponges and single-use paper towels.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
Many cafés and bakeries are also moving away from single-use plastics and offering compostable packaging.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 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
In another development, Northwestern University chemists developed a groundbreaking method that skips the time-consuming step of sorting plastics and directly converts stubborn single-use plastics into useful products like fuels, waxes, and lubricants.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
The resort has incorporated eco-friendly practices, such as replacing single-use water bottles with aluminum in all guest rooms, installing multi-use bath amenity dispensers, and reducing water consumption with high-efficiency toilets and faucets.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
The juxtaposition drew some criticism online, with one follower accusing Emhoff of hypocrisy — a charge complicated further by Harris’ own past calls to ban single-use plastics.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2025
By 2032, they were required to reduce single-use plastic packaging by 25% and guarantee that 65% is recyclable and 100% either recyclable or compostable.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
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Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Sep. 2025
Many cafés and bakeries are also moving away from single-use plastics and offering compostable packaging.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 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
In another development, Northwestern University chemists developed a groundbreaking method that skips the time-consuming step of sorting plastics and directly converts stubborn single-use plastics into useful products like fuels, waxes, and lubricants.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2025
The resort has incorporated eco-friendly practices, such as replacing single-use water bottles with aluminum in all guest rooms, installing multi-use bath amenity dispensers, and reducing water consumption with high-efficiency toilets and faucets.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
The juxtaposition drew some criticism online, with one follower accusing Emhoff of hypocrisy — a charge complicated further by Harris’ own past calls to ban single-use plastics.
—Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2025
By 2032, they were required to reduce single-use plastic packaging by 25% and guarantee that 65% is recyclable and 100% either recyclable or compostable.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Single-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-use. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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