single (ˈsɪŋɡəll
)
Definitions
adjective (usually prenominal)
- existing alone; solitary ⇒
upon the hill stood a single tower
- distinct from other things; unique or individual
- composed of one part
- designed for one user ⇒
a single room
a single bed
- (also postpositive) unmarried
- connected with the condition of being unmarried ⇒
he led a single life
- (esp of combat) involving two individuals; one against one
- sufficient for one person or thing only ⇒
a single portion of food
- even one ⇒
there wasn't a single person on the beach
- (of a flower) having only one set or whorl of petals
- determined; single-minded ⇒
a single devotion to duty
- (of the eye) seeing correctly ⇒
to consider something with a single eye
- rare honest or sincere; genuine
- archaic (of ale, beer, etc) mild in strength
noun
- something forming one individual unit
- an unmarried person
- a gramophone record, CD, or cassette with a short recording, usually of pop music, on it
- golf a game between two players
- cricket a hit from which one run is scored
- British a pound note
- US Canadian a dollar note
- See single ticket
verb
- (tr) out to select from a group of people or things; distinguish by separation ⇒
he singled him out for special mention
- (tr) to thin out (seedlings)
- short for single-foot
See also
singlesAlternative Forms
ˈsingleness nounWord Origin
C14: from Old French sengle, from Latin singulus individualTranslations
- British English:
single
You use single to emphasize that you are referring to one thing, and no more than one thing.She hasn't said a single word.ˈsɪŋɡl ADJECTIVE She hasn't said a single word.
- Spanish:
individual
adj
- French:
seul
adj
- German:
einziger
adj einzige , einziges
- Chinese: 单一的 adj
- Arabic: وَحِيد adj
- Portuguese: único adj única
- Russian: отдельный adj отдельная
- Croatian: sam adj sama
- Czech: jediný adj
- Danish: enkel adj
- Dutch: enkel adj
- Finnish: ainoa adj
- Greek: ανύπαντρος adj ανύπαντρη
- Italian: single adj
- Japanese: たった一つの no_posp
- Korean: 단 하나의 adj
- Norwegian: enkel adj
- Polish: pojedynczy adj pojedyncza
- Brazilian Portuguese: único adj única
- European Spanish:
individual
adj
- Swedish: ensamstående adj
- Thai: โสด adj
- Turkish: tek adj
- Vietnamese: đơn độc adj
- British English:
single
A single is a ticket for a journey from one place to another but not back again.ˈsɪŋɡl NOUN
- Spanish:
disco sencillo
nm
- French:
aller simple
nm
- German:
Single
nm
- Chinese: 单程票 n
- Arabic: تَذْكَرَةُ ذَهَابٍ n
- Portuguese: quarto individual nm
- Russian: неженатый nm неженатая
- Croatian: samac nm
- Czech: jednolůžkový pokoj nm
- Danish: single nutr
- Dutch: enkeltje nnt
- Finnish: yhden hengen huone n
- Greek: μονόκλινο δωμάτιο nnt
- Italian: singolo nm
- Japanese: シングル n
- Korean: 1인용 방 n
- Norwegian: singel nm
- Polish: bilet w jedną stronę nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: bilhete simples nm
- European Spanish:
disco sencillo
nm
- Swedish: singel nutr
- Thai: ห้องเดี่ยว n
- Turkish: tek yataklı oda n
- Vietnamese: phòng đơn n
Usage examples
It was a single , vast window from floor to ceiling, made of the clearest, cleanest glass Lirael had ever seen.
, LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)I had read that stone curlew nest on the shingle islands, so was delighted when I found a single bird.
Country Life (2004)In that utter darkness, sound can arrive like a single bright shaft of shining light.
Irish Times (2002)Getting teams to play regular home games at a single venue will do more to create identity than who plays for a team.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Darryl Jones held the extremely tricky 100-foot hover above Campbell without a single reference point.
, FATAL STORM (2001)