I. sin ‧ gle 1 S1 W1 /ˈsɪŋɡ ə l/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ single , singles, ↑ singleness , the singular, ↑ singularity ; adverb : ↑ singly , ↑ singularly ; adjective : ↑ single , ↑ singular ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin singulus ]
1 . ONE [only before noun] 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 single used to emphasize that you are talking about every person or thing:
Don’t write down every single word I say.
He works every single day.
3 . not a single no people or things at all:
The plane was brought down safely and not a single passenger was killed.
We didn’t get a single reply to the advertisement.
4 . the single biggest/greatest etc used to emphasize that you are talking about the one thing that is the biggest, greatest etc:
Cigarette smoking is the single most important cause of lung cancer.
Tourism is the country’s single biggest earner.
5 . 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?
6 . single bed/room etc a bed, room etc that is meant to be used by one person only:
You have to pay extra for a single room.
⇨ ↑ double 1 (4)
7 . TICKET British English a single ticket etc is for a trip from one place to another but not back again SYN one-way ⇨ return , round-trip
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ married having a husband or wife:
How long have you been married?
|
a married couple
▪ single not married:
Chris is 45 and still single.
|
single mothers
▪ engaged having formally agreed to marry someone in the future:
Jane and Pete have just got engaged.
|
engaged couples
▪ live together to share a home and have a sexual relationship, but not be married:
More and more couples are choosing to live together rather than get married.
▪ separated no longer living with your husband or wife because of problems in your marriage:
I think Joan and Brian are separated now.
▪ divorced no longer married because you have legally ended your marriage:
My parents got divorced when I was 10.
|
divorced men
▪ widowed no longer married because your husband or wife has died:
He’s a widowed father of two.
II. single 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ single , singles, ↑ singleness , the singular, ↑ singularity ; adverb : ↑ singly , ↑ singularly ; adjective : ↑ single , ↑ singular ]
1 . MUSIC 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) one ↑ run 2 in a game of ↑ cricket
b) a hit that allows the person who is hitting the ball to reach first ↑ base in a game of baseball
3 . TENNIS singles [uncountable] a game, especially in tennis, in which one person plays on their own against another person:
I prefer playing singles.
Who won the women’s singles?
⇨ doubles at ↑ double 2 (3)
4 . NOT MARRIED singles [plural] people who are not married and are not involved in a romantic relationship with anyone:
The show is especially popular among young singles.
a singles night at the club
5 . TICKET British English 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 English 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.
III. single 3 BrE AmE verb
single somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
to choose one person or thing from among a group because they are better, worse, more important etc than the others
single somebody/something ↔ out for
I don’t see why he should be singled out for special treatment.
single somebody/something ↔ out as
One programme was singled out as being particularly good.