single out

phrasal verb

singled out; singling out; singles out
: to treat or to speak about (someone or something in a group) in a way that is different from the way one treats or speaks about others
The coach singled out the players who played poorly.
The reviewer singled her performance out for praise/criticism.
often used as (be) singled out
She was singled out for special treatment.

Examples of single out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The only children who are singled out to pay for their own care are those receiving federal benefits, either because they are disabled, or have a deceased parent. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2024 Jaffer said that a law restricting ownership of social media giants across the board, in a way that didn’t single out a specific platform, might be able to survive a constitutional challenge. Emily Baker-White, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024 Putin did not single out either side in his address to the country. Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2024 Despite the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian State Duma Defense Committee blaming Ukraine — which is at war with Russia — for the attack, and a faction of ISIS taking responsibility for the mass shooting, Putin did not single out either party in his address to the Russian people. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024 The suit filed Thursday in federal court on behalf of Ibrahim Samra, 27, alleges the multimedia journalist was singled out by management over his social media posts and asked about his views on Hamas in the wake of the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024 White didn’t single out the Chiefs in his statement, but it was aimed at them, as only the Chiefs have a separate practice facility at Truman and have been discussing the need to replace it. Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 The company’s creative bankruptcy has offered ample fodder for critics and was even lampooned by South Park, which singled out Iger and Lucasfilm studio boss Kathleen Kennedy as the culprits behind the mismanagement. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024 The same research organization that MacAskill singled out for its rigorous evaluations released a report finding no proof of benefits from mass deworming. Leif Wenar, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'single out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Single out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single%20out. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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