# single

Pronunciation: say "SING-guhl" US /ˈsɪŋɡəl/, UK /ˈsɪŋɡl̩/

## Adjective

1. Only one; not accompanied by others, or made as one whole rather than in separate parts.
   - Simple: Only one, not two or more, or made as one piece.
   - _A single error in the code brought the whole system down._
   - _The island's economy depends on a single export: vanilla._
3. Not married; or, in modern everyday use, not dating or otherwise romantically involved with anyone.
   - Simple: Not married, or not dating or in a relationship with anyone.
   - _After two long relationships, she enjoyed being single for a while._
   - _The survey asked whether respondents were single, married, or divorced._
6. Of a thing such as a bed, room, or seat: made or meant for only one person to use.
   - Simple: 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._
8. Performed by one person, or by one person on each side.
   - Simple: Done by one person alone, 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._
16. Pure and unmixed; not compounded with anything else.
   - Simple: Made of one thing only, with nothing else mixed in.
19. Of a flower, having one row of petals, or sometimes two, rather than the many rows of a double flower.
   - Simple: Having one row of petals, or sometimes two, instead of many layered rows.
   - _The species rose bears single blossoms with five petals apiece._
   - _Breeders crossed the double cultivar back to a single form to restore access for pollinators._
10. Describing a ticket or fare that covers a trip in one direction only and does not include the journey back. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Used about a ticket that lets you travel to a place but not back again.
   - _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._

## Noun

2. A song released on its own, apart from any album it may also appear on, or the record, CD, or download that carries it.
   - Simple: A song that a singer or band puts out on its own, even if it is also on an album.
   - _The label chose the album's catchiest track as the lead single._
   - _Streaming has blurred the old line between singles and album cuts._
4. Someone who is either unmarried or not in a romantic relationship.
   - Simple: A person who is not married or does not have a boyfriend, girlfriend, or romantic partner.
   - _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._
5. A room intended for one occupant, chiefly in a hotel, or a bed sized to sleep one person.
   - Simple: A room for one person to stay in, often in a hotel, or a bed for one sleeper.
   - _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._
7. A game or match with one player on each side, as in tennis or badminton.
   - Simple: A game, like tennis, with one player on each side.
   - _He won the singles title without dropping a set._
   - _She prefers singles to doubles because she doesn't have to rely on a partner._
9. A one-base hit in baseball, on which the batter reaches first base safely.
   - Simple: A hit in baseball that gets the player safely to first base.
   - _She lined a single into right field to start the rally._
   - _The pitcher had allowed only three singles through eight innings._
13. A banknote worth one dollar; a dollar bill. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: A piece of paper money worth one dollar.
   - _The bartender broke his twenty into a stack of singles._
   - _He smoothed out a crumpled single and fed it into the vending machine._
15. A ticket valid for a journey in one direction only; a one-way ticket. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A ticket for a trip in one direction only, not there and back.
   - _A single to Edinburgh cost nearly as much as the return._
   - _He bought singles for the whole family at the ticket machine._
17. One loose cigarette bought or sold on its own, apart from the pack it came from.
   - Simple: One cigarette sold by itself, not in a pack.
   - _The bodega kept a cup of singles next to the register._
   - _He asked for a single and a book of matches._
18. In cricket, a score of one run, typically taken by the batters running once between the wickets.
   - Simple: One run in cricket, scored when the batters run once between the wickets.
   - _He pushed the ball into the gap and scampered a single._
   - _The pair rotated the strike with sharp singles all afternoon._
11. A serving of spirits poured with one standard measure rather than the two that make a double. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A drink with one normal measure of strong alcohol, such as whisky, not two.
   - _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._

## Verb

12. In baseball, of a batter, to make a one-base hit; to hit a single.
   - Simple: In baseball, to make a hit that gets you to first base.
   - _Martinez tends to single to the opposite field against left-handed pitchers._
   - _He singled sharply up the middle to drive in the tying run._

## Verb

14. To take alone or one by one; to pick out individually. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To take or consider people or things separately, or pick them out individually.
22. To set (oneself) apart from company; to withdraw or seclude (oneself). *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To go away from other people and be alone.

## Adjective

20. Simple and honest; sincere and free of deceit. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Honest and sincere, without any tricks or false intentions.
21. Simple in mind; foolish, weak, or silly. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Foolish, silly, or weak in the mind.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In computing, a single-precision floating-point number, typically stored in 32 bits and retaining fewer significant digits than a double.
- (noun) In film and television, a shot framing only one character.
- (noun) In Canadian football, a one-point score, also called a rouge, awarded on certain kicks into the opponents' end zone that are not returned to the field of play.
- (noun) A domino tile bearing a different number of pips at each end.
- (verb) To thin out, as by removing surplus seedlings from a row of plants.
- (verb) To reduce a railroad line from double to single track.
- (noun) A reeled silk filament twisted on its own, without doubling, to give it firmness.
- (noun) A handful of grain picked up by a gleaner from the field after harvest.
- (noun) A steam locomotive with only one pair of driving wheels; a single-driver.
- (verb) Of a horse, to move at a singlefoot, a fast gait in which each foot strikes the ground separately in an even four-beat rhythm.

## 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).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/single (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).