1
a
: not married
b
: of or relating to celibacy
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
7
: having no equal or like : singular
8
: designed for the use of one person only
a single room
a single bed
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
singled; singling
ˈsiŋ-g(ə-)liŋ 
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
: to make a single in baseball
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
Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
Also known as a double bed, this mattress size is ideal for teens, young adults, single sleepers with pets and guest rooms.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
The Phillies nicked Dollander for a run in the fifth, utilizing a leadoff single by Brandon Marsh, who scored on Turner’s double to right.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
De La Cruz scored from second base in the fourth on Eugenio Suárez’s single up the middle after singling and tagging up on Sal Stewart’s 358-foot fly out to the warning track in right.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for single
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Adjective
The sophomore point guard had made a single shot behind the arc in the entire NCAA Tournament previously.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
Also known as a double bed, this mattress size is ideal for teens, young adults, single sleepers with pets and guest rooms.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Noun
Rocker got off to a rocky start in the first inning after a ball slipped past the glove of Josh Jung, followed by a wild pitch, which put a runner in scoring position with only one out, before back-to-back singles by Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart netted the Reds their first two runs of the game.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
The Phillies nicked Dollander for a run in the fifth, utilizing a leadoff single by Brandon Marsh, who scored on Turner’s double to right.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
Elly De La Cruz singled home the winning run in the eighth inning after scoring in the fourth inning with the use of his speed as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on Sunday to sweep the three-game weekend series.
—CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
De La Cruz scored from second base in the fourth on Eugenio Suárez’s single up the middle after singling and tagging up on Sal Stewart’s 358-foot fly out to the warning track in right.
—ABC News, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for single
Cite this Entry
“Single.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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 noun1
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
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