Word family noun single singles singleness the singular singularity adjective single singular adverb singly singularly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsinglesin‧gle1 /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 one [only before noun]ONLY only one A single tree gave shade from the sun. They won the game by a single point. the highest price ever paid for a single work of art a single-sex school (=one for only boys or girls)2 → every single3 → not a single4 → the single biggest/greatest etc5 not married not married, or not involved in a romantic relationship with anyone The changes in tax rates will benefit single people the most. Is he single?► see thesaurus at married6 → single bed/room etc7 ticket British EnglishTT a single ticket etc is for a trip from one place to another but not back again SYN one-way, → return, round-tripExamples from the Corpus
single• Jeff is 38 years old and still single.• How does it feel to be single again?• However, the biggest single barrier remains the memory limitation inherent in chip storage.• A single bug may catch ten or more termites in succession in this way.• In 1990 the Gift Aid Scheme allows tax relief on single cash gifts to charities.• Top with a spoonful of Creme fraiche or single cream and some whole mint leaves.• But Schweiker did not add a single delegate.• Forbes wanted to simplify filing taxes by narrowing the current five rates to a single flat rate.• a single-lane bridge• Please fill in the section on the form that asks if you're single, married or divorced.• And some will just have a single mention of the term you are searching for.• I'm a single mother, so I don't have much money.• The first four acts of Don Juan Tenorio take place in a single night.• Many of the children at the school come from single parent families.• The Cubs won the game by a single point.• We hope to establish a single safety standard for all airlines.• Carla wore a single strand of pearls around her neck.• These trees can grow over a foot in a single summer.• At my age it's difficult to meet single women.singlesingle2 ●●○ noun [countable] 1 musicTCR a CD that has only one song on it, not a number of songs, or a song which is sold in this way → album Have you heard their latest single?2 sport a) DSCone run2 in a game of cricket b) DSBa hit that allows the person who is hitting the ball to reach first base in a game of baseball3 → singles4 → singles5 ticket British EnglishTT a ticket for a trip from one place to another but not back again SYN one-way ticket American English → return A single to Oxford, please.6 money American EnglishPEC a piece of paper money worth one dollar Anybody have five singles?7 room a room in a hotel for just one person → double I’m afraid we haven’t got any singles available.Examples from the Corpus
single• the Top 40 singles chart• Or how many divorced singles live there.• Does anybody have five singles?• The category of singles includes people in various stages of life.• The average cost of recording a pop single was in thousands rather than hundreds of pounds.• In the men's singles, Hunter proceeded to the final without conceding a set and ended wildcard entry.• She began playing tennis at age 4, and has 21 Grand Slams singles titles to her credit.• The possibility of commercial suicide aside, the single was to become the perfect deflecting plate for the new album.singlesingle3 verb → single somebody/something ↔ out→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
single• They single out an old, young, or infirm animal and only then start the chase.• The mobile phone is then instructed to single out and decipher only the conversation with the right code.• He didn't single out anyone by name.• In singling out gay men, the offence bears the hallmarks of homophobic prejudice, and belongs to the less tolerant era.• By singling out the black population for a special history month makes all other races feel slighted.• Frequently we abstract from this covenant by singling out the Ten Commandments and ignoring much of the remainder of the Mosaic code.• I will single out two of them.• Rodriguez singled to left field.From Longman Business Dictionarysinglesin‧gle /ˈsɪŋgəl/ noun [countable] British EnglishTRAVEL a ticket for a journey from one place to another but not back againA single to Oxford, please. → compare return2Origin single1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin singulus 