single
1 of 3adjective
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 3noun
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 3verb
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
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Sep. 2022 Returning the objects to him means converting what was once the sacred property of a reigning king into the personal wealth of a single family. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2022 The three main styles of single-family houses are two-story ramblers, three-story split foyers, and three- or four-story split levels. Madison Rudolf, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 Archetypes launched on August 23 featuring a conversation with Serena Williams about ambition, and subsequent weeks have featured Mariah Carey on being a diva and Mindy Kaling on being single. Emily Burack, Town & Country, 13 Sep. 2022 For example, towns are allowed to opt out of accessory dwelling units, a modest zoning category allowing independent living spaces in single-family homes or in adjacent structures such as a second story of a garage, Elicker said. Stephen Singer, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2022 The New York Times ran down the states with the largest lot sizes for new single-family homes and found that California had the second-smallest median lot size at 7,405 square feet — at a price of $82.60 per square foot. Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2022 Griffin, who recently placed four of his seven Chicago condominiums on the market for prices ranging from $11.5 million to $15.75 million, has set the record for the highest price ever paid for a single-family home in Miami-Dade County. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Not since Nicole Kidman's triumphant exit from her lawyer's office after finalizing her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001 has a woman appeared more palpably relieved to be single again. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2022 Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 Alex Bregman drove in Alvarez for a 2-1 lead with a one-strike single, and Kyle Tucker crushed a two-strike slider at the bottom of the zone for a two-run home run. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 14 Sep. 2022 Hays added a pair Tuesday, too, with that bloop double and a sharp single to left. Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2022 With Amed Rosario aboard after a leadoff single, Ramírez drove a 3-1 slider from Ryan Tepera (4-3) deep to right for his 27th homer. Brian Dulik, ajc, 14 Sep. 2022 To everyone’s surprise, the single became a crossover smash, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard pop chart. Aaron Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 13 Sep. 2022 It was released in 2014 on a split single with Circa Survive. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 11 Sep. 2022 There’s also Becerra’s new single, a preview of her upcoming sophomore album La Nena de Argentina, slated to drop before the year ends. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 9 Sep. 2022 The White Sox collected their first hit with one out in the seventh when Eloy Jimenez bounced a single through the left side off Payamps. John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Sep. 2022 Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Other critics say the bill doesn’t explicitly single out plastics but includes language that could pull in other materials such as paper, cardboard and glass. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 To single out Tatum’s offense would be to miss some context in a series that had a defensive bent to it. New York Times, 17 June 2022 Focusing on the graduate in a sea of their classmates is a great way to single out their accomplishment. Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 14 Apr. 2022 Mobley in particular is impossible not to single out. Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 21 Feb. 2022 His work alone would be enough to single out director Oliver Hermanus’ pitch-perfect period piece. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2022 Two groups have yet to single out a candidate, but other Democrats are lobbying Rep. Ruben Gallego to challenge Sinema. Meg Cunningham, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2022 There, the seemingly benevolent boss, Bardem’s Blanco, is preparing for an upcoming inspection by a group which is visiting local businesses looking to single out one for a prestigious prize. Jamie Lang, Variety, 14 Dec. 2021 See More
Adjective
The plan also calls for the county to continue partnerships with nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando & Osceola County to turn surplus public land into single-family homes for low-income households. Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Sep. 2022 Returning the objects to him means converting what was once the sacred property of a reigning king into the personal wealth of a single family. David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2022 The three main styles of single-family houses are two-story ramblers, three-story split foyers, and three- or four-story split levels. Madison Rudolf, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 Archetypes launched on August 23 featuring a conversation with Serena Williams about ambition, and subsequent weeks have featured Mariah Carey on being a diva and Mindy Kaling on being single. Emily Burack, Town & Country, 13 Sep. 2022 For example, towns are allowed to opt out of accessory dwelling units, a modest zoning category allowing independent living spaces in single-family homes or in adjacent structures such as a second story of a garage, Elicker said. Stephen Singer, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2022 The New York Times ran down the states with the largest lot sizes for new single-family homes and found that California had the second-smallest median lot size at 7,405 square feet — at a price of $82.60 per square foot. Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2022 Griffin, who recently placed four of his seven Chicago condominiums on the market for prices ranging from $11.5 million to $15.75 million, has set the record for the highest price ever paid for a single-family home in Miami-Dade County. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Not since Nicole Kidman's triumphant exit from her lawyer's office after finalizing her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001 has a woman appeared more palpably relieved to be single again. Hanna Lustig, Glamour, 7 Sep. 2022 Noun
With Amed Rosario aboard after a leadoff single, Ramirez drove a 3-1 slider from Ryan Tepera (4-3) deep to right for his 27th homer. Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 Alex Bregman drove in Alvarez for a 2-1 lead with a one-strike single, and Kyle Tucker crushed a two-strike slider at the bottom of the zone for a two-run home run. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 14 Sep. 2022 Hays added a pair Tuesday, too, with that bloop double and a sharp single to left. Andy Kostka, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2022 With Amed Rosario aboard after a leadoff single, Ramírez drove a 3-1 slider from Ryan Tepera (4-3) deep to right for his 27th homer. Brian Dulik, ajc, 14 Sep. 2022 To everyone’s surprise, the single became a crossover smash, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard pop chart. Aaron Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 13 Sep. 2022 It was released in 2014 on a split single with Circa Survive. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 11 Sep. 2022 There’s also Becerra’s new single, a preview of her upcoming sophomore album La Nena de Argentina, slated to drop before the year ends. Griselda Flores, Billboard, 9 Sep. 2022 The White Sox collected their first hit with one out in the seventh when Eloy Jimenez bounced a single through the left side off Payamps. John Shea, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Sep. 2022 Verb
As far as Enis goes, Bumphis was happy with the physicality the fifth-year senior showed in the run game at The Swamp, going as far as to single out one play. Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Other critics say the bill doesn’t explicitly single out plastics but includes language that could pull in other materials such as paper, cardboard and glass. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2022 To single out Tatum’s offense would be to miss some context in a series that had a defensive bent to it. New York Times, 17 June 2022 Focusing on the graduate in a sea of their classmates is a great way to single out their accomplishment. Olivia Muenter, Woman's Day, 14 Apr. 2022 Mobley in particular is impossible not to single out. Ashley Bastock, cleveland, 21 Feb. 2022 His work alone would be enough to single out director Oliver Hermanus’ pitch-perfect period piece. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2022 Two groups have yet to single out a candidate, but other Democrats are lobbying Rep. Ruben Gallego to challenge Sinema. Meg Cunningham, ABC News, 21 Jan. 2022 There, the seemingly benevolent boss, Bardem’s Blanco, is preparing for an upcoming inspection by a group which is visiting local businesses looking to single out one for a prestigious prize. Jamie Lang, Variety, 14 Dec. 2021 See More 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
Kids Definition
single 1 of 3
adjective
sin·gle ˈsiŋ-gəl
1
: being alone : being the only one
He … made a single effort to jump … Walter Farley, The Black Stallion
Walter Farley, The Black Stallion2
: being a separate whole : individual
… the sheriff pretended to study the menu—though he knew every single word on it by heart. Robert McCloskey, Homer Price
Robert McCloskey, Homer Price3
: not married
4
: made up of or having only one
The word has a single syllable.
5
: made for only one person
a single bed
single
2 of 3verb
singled; singling
: to select or distinguish (as one person or thing) from a number or group
My sister was singled out for praise.
single
3 of 3noun
1
: a separate individual person or thing
2
: a hit in baseball that enables the batter to reach first base
single 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in unmarried
not married there was such a shortage of single men in the neighborhood that he had his pick of girlfriends Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- unmarried
- separated
- unattached
- divorced
- unwed
- unpaired
- marriageable
- fancy-free
- footloose
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- attached
- married
- wedded
- paired
- mated
- wed
- engaged
- committed
- hitched
- pledged
- espoused
- promised
- betrothed
- affianced
- remarried
2
as in sole
belonging only to the one person, unit, or group named any view expressed on the newspaper's editorial pages is the single opinion of the writer of the column Synonyms & Similar Words
- sole
- exclusive
- personal
- unshared
- proprietary
- private
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- multiple
- joint
- common
- public
- mutual
- nonexclusive
- cooperative
- communal
- united
- pooled
- conjoint
- shared
3
as in separate
not physically attached to another unit the average price of single homes in the area Synonyms & Similar Words
- separate
- detached
- discrete
- private
- individual
- freestanding
- unattached
- unconnected
- independent
- free
- disconnected
- self-contained
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- attached
- connected
- joined
- linked
- adjoining
4
as in lone
not being in the company of others a restaurant where the single diner is made to feel welcome and given the same level of service as couples or groups Synonyms & Similar Words
- lone
- solitary
- solo
- lonely
- alone
- unaccompanied
- lonesome
- separated
- isolate
- isolated
- separate
- abandoned
- divided
- on one's own
- secluded
- retired
- deserted
- withdrawn
- unattended
- segregated
- detached
- insulated
- hermetic
- friendless
- disassociated
- unchaperoned
- cloistered
- unlinked
- sequestered
- remote
- unattached
- unconnected
- disjointed
- hermetical
- forgotten
- quarantined
- fractionated
- neglected
- dissociated
- disunited
- lorn
- disconnected
- forsaken
- adrift
- forlorn
- desolate
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- accompanied
- adjacent
- contiguous
- attended
- adjoining
- coupled
- attached
- connected
- neighboring
- linked
- communicating
- chaperoned
- escorted
- next-door
single
2 of 2noun
1
as in individual
Synonyms & Similar Words
- individual
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- group
- cluster
- band
- crop
- grouping
- batch
- party
- body
- array
- bunch
- clutch
- battery
- parcel
- organization
- lot
- knot
- constellation
- assembly
- consort
- gathering
- set
- congregation
- collective
- round
- passel
- ring
- huddle
- circle
- muster
- gang
- boodle
- clan
- clique
- fellowship
- coterie
2
as in unit
Synonyms & Similar Words
- unit
- entity
- item
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- group
- cluster
- collection
- band
- set
- package
- grouping
- batch
- bank
- block
- suite
- clump
- bunch
- assemblage
- array
- clutch
- battery
- parcel
- knot
- lot
- aggregate
- aggregation
- constellation
- clot
- accumulation
- huddle
- muster
- variety
- passel
- mixture
- conglomeration
- hodgepodge
- assortment
- jumble
- agglomeration
- miscellany
- sundries
- odds and ends
3
as in maiden
Synonyms & Similar Words
- maiden
- bachelor
- spinster
- ex
- bachelorette
- maid
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- spouse
- partner
- mate
- better half
- consort
- soul mate
- significant other
- domestic partner