single

1 of 3

adjective

sin·​gle ˈsiŋ-gəl 

1

a

: not married

b

: of or relating to celibacy

2

: unaccompanied by others : lone, sole

the single survivor of the disaster

3

a(1)

: consisting of or having only one part, feature, or portion

single consonants

(2)

: consisting of one as opposed to or in contrast with many : uniform

a single standard for men and women

(3)

: consisting of only one in number

holds to a single ideal

b

: having but one whorl of petals or ray flowers

a single rose

4

a

: consisting of a separate unique whole : individual

every single citizen

b

: of, relating to, or involving only one person

5

a

: frank, honest

a single devotion

b

: exclusively attentive

an eye single to the truth

6

: unbroken, undivided

7

: having no equal or like : singular

8

: designed for the use of one person only

a single room

a single bed

single

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: a separate individual person or thing

b

: an unmarried person and especially one young and socially active

—usually used in plural

c(1)

: a recording having one short tune on each side

(2)

: a music recording having two or more tracks that is shorter than a full-length album

also : a song that is particularly popular independent of other songs on the same album or by the same artist

2

: a base hit that allows the batter to reach first base

3

a

singles plural : a tennis match or similar game with one player on each side

b

: a golf match between two players

—usually used in plural

4

: a room (as in a hotel) for one guest compare double sense 7

single

3 of 3

verb

singled; singling ˈsiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to select or distinguish from a number or group

—usually used with out

2

a

: to advance or score (a base runner) by a single

b

: to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a single

intransitive verb

: to make a single in baseball

Synonyms

Adjective

• unattached
• unmarried
• unwed

Verb

• cherry-pick
• choose
• cull
• elect
• handpick
• name
• opt (for)
• pick
• prefer
• select
• tag
• take

Examples of single in a Sentence

Adjective

A single shoe was found.

It costs $10 for a single glass of wine!

a single serving of carrots

He earns $2,000 in a single week.

Noun

He hit a single to right field.

Do you want to play singles or doubles?

Verb

He singled to right field.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The single leans into old-school hip-hop influences, and shows the love that both musicians have for the art form. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

Instead, the only change Knoblauch made early came when switching out Josh Brown after Game 1 and inserting John Klingberg (the numbers above for the pairing are from a single game). —Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 3 May 2025

Noun

Del Rey manages to double up on the latter list, with both singles from her forthcoming full-length taking up space at the same time — and this may be the only instance of that happening. Follow me on Twitter. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

That was followed by a single from Freddie Freeman, who hit a ground ball that Olson failed to snare at first base, and a walk to Teoscar Hernández, loading the bases with one out. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025

Verb

Prince Harry's lawyers say UK government 'singled' him out, cite al Qaeda threats Since then, the two have carved out a new path: settling in the Montecito hills to raise their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, and venturing into the entertainment space. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 1 May 2025

Heyward, back from knee inflammation, singled, doubled and scored a run. —Dennis Lin, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sengle, from Anglo-French, from Latin singulus one only; akin to Latin sem- one — more at same

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1628, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing single

• single-action
• single bed
• single-blind
• single bond
• single-breasted
• single combat
• single cross
• single-decker
• single-digit
• single digits
• single entry
• single father
• single figures
• single file
• single-foot
• single-handed
• single-hander
• single-hearted
• single knot
• single-lens reflex
• single malt
• single market
• single-member constituency
• single-member district
• single-minded
• single mother
• single out
• single parent
• single-payer
• single-phase
• single-space
• single tax
• single-track
• single use
• single-valued
• single wing
• with a (single) stroke of a/the/his/her pen

Rhymes for single

• commingle
• dingle
• ingle
• jingle
• lingle
• mingle
• pringle
• shingle
• swingle
• tingle
• intermingle

Kids Definition

single

1 of 3 adjective

sin·​gle ˈsiŋ-gəl 

1

: not married

especially : never having been married

2

: being alone : being the only one

the single survivor of the disaster

3

: consisting of one

a single standard

4

: having only one row of petals or ray flowers around the center of a blossom

a single rose

5

a

: consisting of a separate whole : individual

each single citizen

b

: of, relating to, or involving only one person

6

: being a whole

a single world

7

: designed for the use of one person only

a single room

a single bed

singleness noun

single

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a separate individual person or thing

b

: an unmarried adult

c(1)

: a recording having one short tune on each side

(2)

: a music recording having two or more tracks that is shorter than a full-length album

2

: a hit in baseball that enables a batter to reach first base safely

3

plural : a game (as of tennis) between two players

single

3 of 3 verb

singled; singling ˈsiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to select (a person or thing) from a number or group

—usually used with out

2

: to make a single in baseball