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 outShe was singled out for special treatment.
Examples of single out in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While Porter launched political attacks against Schiff, the front-runner, throughout the campaign, Lee mostly stayed above the fray, rarely singling out her opponents by name.
—
Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
He’s also singled out Trump in particular, challenging him to a head-to-head discussion at the Libertarian party convention in late May.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Israel, the clear reason for the measure, was not singled out by name.
—Michael Crowley, New York Times, 7 May 2024
One protester, identified by the Mississippi Free Press as graduate student Jaylin Smith, was singled out for abuse by counterprotesters, who mocked her weight and lobbed racial abuse at her.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 6 May 2024
Tom Brady was the latest subject of Netflix’s Greatest Roast of All Time on Sunday night (May 5), and there was a point when the iconic New England Patriots quarterback went on the offensive and singled out Kim Kardashian in the audience.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 May 2024
Bagwell said Liberty does not single out any particular community for placements, but sparsely populated areas tend to have more homes that are compliant with SVP requirements, such as not being close to schools.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
On April 18, the mission team singled out the code responsible for packaging the spacecraft’s engineering data and sent it to its new location.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
Sanford said the agency is also gathering public input, including with an online survey where nearly 3,000 people singled out potentially dangerous intersections.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
He’s also singled out Trump in particular, challenging him to a head-to-head discussion at the Libertarian party convention in late May.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Israel, the clear reason for the measure, was not singled out by name.
—Michael Crowley, New York Times, 7 May 2024
One protester, identified by the Mississippi Free Press as graduate student Jaylin Smith, was singled out for abuse by counterprotesters, who mocked her weight and lobbed racial abuse at her.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 6 May 2024
Tom Brady was the latest subject of Netflix’s Greatest Roast of All Time on Sunday night (May 5), and there was a point when the iconic New England Patriots quarterback went on the offensive and singled out Kim Kardashian in the audience.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 May 2024
Bagwell said Liberty does not single out any particular community for placements, but sparsely populated areas tend to have more homes that are compliant with SVP requirements, such as not being close to schools.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 May 2024
On April 18, the mission team singled out the code responsible for packaging the spacecraft’s engineering data and sent it to its new location.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Apr. 2024
Sanford said the agency is also gathering public input, including with an online survey where nearly 3,000 people singled out potentially dangerous intersections.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near single out
Cite this Entry
“Single out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single%20out. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share