single-use

adjective

sin·​gle-use ˈsiŋ-gəl-ˈyüs How to pronounce single-use (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Rather than granting single-use access, fans were encouraged to share the codes and spread the word far and wide. Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025 In an Instagram video posted on July 30, Momoa took an electric shaver to his beard while delivering a message about eliminating single-use plastic. Brianne Tracy, People.com, 2 Aug. 2025 There are also ramps available in all public spaces, single-use restrooms near the pool, as well as a pool lift. Marcea Cazel, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2025 Yes, food-handling restaurant workers should wash their hands before donning single-use gloves and after discarding them. David J. Neal august 1, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025 Oh, and there were only three single-use bathrooms for an eatery that seats 250. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 July 2025 Some countries and some U.S. states have taken steps to limit waste, end single-use plastics and boost the woefully low rates of plastic recycling. Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025 Dover’s secular growth business platforms are clean energy components, precision components, single-use biopharma, inputs into liquid cooling applications of data center, and CO2 refrigeration systems. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 24 July 2025 Similarly, Stripe’s Agent Toolkit, powered by its Issuing system, enables bots to create single-use virtual credit cards and complete payments with a simple API call. Darko Pavic, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of single-use was in 1897

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Cite this Entry

“Single-use.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single-use. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

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