DictionaryAI

single

SaySING-guhl/ˈsɪŋɡəl/UK/ˈsɪŋɡl̩/

Noun pluralsingles

32 meanings of single

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  1. 1
    adjective
    Only one; not accompanied by others, or made as one whole rather than in separate parts.

    A single error in the code brought the whole system down.

    The island's economy depends on a single export: vanilla.

    UsageOften adds emphasis, especially in negatives and questions: not a single word, every single day.

  2. 2
    released songnouncountable
    A song released on its own, apart from any album it may also appear on, or the record, CD, or download that carries it.

    The label chose the album's catchiest track as the lead single.

    Streaming has blurred the old line between singles and album cuts.

    Note

    Here the word names the release, and also the disc or download that carries it, whatever the format. A single is often just the one song, though some carry an extra track or two. Singles are often drawn from an album to promote it, as when a band releases four singles from its latest record. The first one sent out is the lead single.

  3. 3
    not with anyoneadjective
    Not married; or, in modern everyday use, not dating or otherwise romantically involved with anyone.

    After two long relationships, she enjoyed being single for a while.

    The survey asked whether respondents were single, married, or divorced.

    Similarunmarried, available

    Oppositemarried, attached

    Note

    Marital status and romantic status share this one word, and the two can pull apart. On a form, someone who is dating but has never married still puts single. In ordinary talk, being single now usually means having no partner at all. Older writers treated it as a chosen state: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream speaks of "single blessedness", and Dryden's Ovid has one who "single chose to live, and shunned to wed."

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • Older literary examples present remaining unmarried as a choice. gutenberg.org
    • Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains “single blessedness”; Theseus speaks the words in Act 1, scene 1. folger.edu
    • Dryden’s rendering of Ovid describes someone who “single chose to live, and shunned to wed.” The person described is Pygmalion. en.wikisource.org
  4. 4
    nouncountable
    Someone who is either unmarried or not in a romantic relationship.

    The apartment complex markets itself to young singles working downtown.

    As a single in a town full of couples, he often felt like a third wheel.

    Similarsingleton

  5. 5
    for one sleepernouncountable
    A room intended for one occupant, chiefly in a hotel, or a bed sized to sleep one person.

    The inn charges $95 a night for a single and $130 for a double.

    We replaced the double in the spare room with two singles so the kids could share it.

    Oppositedouble

    Note

    This noun is the "made for one" adjective with its own noun dropped: a single is a single room or a single bed, and it is usually set against its partner, a double. For the bed, American English has a second name, since a single bed is also called a twin bed.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  6. 6
    adjective
    Of a thing such as a bed, room, or seat: made or meant for only one person to use.

    Most hostels offer a few single rooms for travelers who want privacy.

    She booked a single cabin on the ferry rather than share with strangers.

    Similarindividual

    Oppositedouble, shared

  7. 7
    one-on-one matchnouncountableplural
    A game or match with one player on each side, as in tennis or badminton.

    He won the singles title without dropping a set.

    She prefers singles to doubles because she doesn't have to rely on a partner.

    UsageThe -s usually stays, even for one match: a singles match, a singles title, play singles.

    Oppositedoubles

    Note

    The singular survives in older writing. Agatha Christie's The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) has a challenge "to a single at tennis." Today that singular reads as old-fashioned. Its partner term is doubles.

  8. 8
    individual (combat)adjective
    Performed by one person, or by one person on each side.

    Medieval epics often climax in single combat between rival champions.

    The two kings agreed to settle the war by single combat rather than risk their armies.

    UsageMostly in the set phrase single combat, which describes the fight, not the fighters.

    Note

    Here the word describes the shape of a contest rather than a count. In John Milton's Samson Agonistes (1671), Samson defies his enemy "thrice to single fight," a challenge to meet one against one.

  9. 9
    a one-base hitnouncountable
    A one-base hit in baseball, on which the batter reaches first base safely.

    She lined a single into right field to start the rally.

    The pitcher had allowed only three singles through eight innings.

    Note

    Baseball's one-base hit is also the noun behind the verb to single: a batter who hits a single has singled. It counts as a hit only when the batter reaches first because of the hit itself. Reaching base on an error or a fielder's choice is not a single, however it looks from the stands.

    Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • Reaching first through an error or a fielder's choice does not count as a hit. mlb.com
  10. 10
    adjectiveUKbritish
    Describing a ticket or fare that covers a trip in one direction only and does not include the journey back.

    Off-peak single fares to Manchester are often cheaper if you book in advance.

    She bought a single ticket, planning to stay abroad for at least a year.

    Similarone-way

    Note

    A ticket-office word, chiefly British, where the everyday choice is between single and return: a single gets you there, a return brings you back as well. As an adjective it sits before ticket or fare (an off-peak single fare). In speech the noun usually does the job alone, and the ticket itself is simply a single.

  11. 11
    nounUKcountablebritish
    A serving of spirits poured with one standard measure rather than the two that make a double.

    I'll just have a single, thanks, since I'm driving later.

    Ask the barman to make it a single if you only want a taste of the rum.

    Oppositedouble

    Note

    Bar talk, and British in the same way as the ticket sense. The word gets its meaning from the contrast with a double, which holds two standard measures, so the pair often turns up together when a drink is ordered. It belongs to spirits poured by the measure, such as whisky, gin or rum.

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Origin

This word came through Middle English and Old French from Latin "singulus," which goes back to the Proto-Indo-European root *sem- meaning "one," though exactly how it was formed is uncertain. It is related to Latin "simplex" (simple).

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 3 facts