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¹single

adjective sin·gle \ˈsiŋ-gəl\

: not having or including another : only one

: not married or not having a serious romantic relationship with someone

—used for emphasis after words like any, each, every, etc.

Full Definition of SINGLE

a : not married

b : of or relating to celibacy

: unaccompanied by others : lone, sole <the single survivor of the disaster>

a (1) : consisting of or having only one part, feature, or portion <single consonants> (2) : consisting of one as opposed to or in contrast with many : uniform <a single standard for men and women> (3) : consisting of only one in number <holds to a single ideal>

b : having but one whorl of petals or ray flowers <a single rose>

a : consisting of a separate unique whole : individual <every single citizen>

b : of, relating to, or involving only one person

a : frank, honest <a single devotion>

b : exclusively attentive <an eye single to the truth>

: unbroken, undivided

: having no equal or like : singular

: designed for the use of one person only <a single room> <a single bed>

See single defined for English-language learners

See single defined for kids

Origin of SINGLE

Middle English sengle, from Anglo-French, from Latin singulus one only; akin to Latin sem- one — more at same

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to SINGLE

Synonyms: unattached, unmarried, unwed

Antonyms: attached, espoused, hitched, married, wedded (also wed)

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

Rhymes with SINGLE

cringle, dingle, jingle, mingle, shingle, tingle

²single

noun

: an unmarried person and especially one who is young and socially active

baseball : a hit that allows the batter to reach first base

cricket : a hit that scores one run

Full Definition of SINGLE

a : a separate individual person or thing

b : an unmarried person and especially one young and socially active —usually used in plural

c (1) : a recording having one short tune on each side (2) : a music recording having two or more tracks that is shorter than a full-length album; also : a song that is particularly popular independent of other songs on the same album or by the same artist

: a base hit that allows the batter to reach first base

a plural : a tennis match or similar game with one player on each side

b : a golf match between two players —usually used in plural

: a room (as in a hotel) for one guest — compare double 7

See single defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of SINGLE

1604

Other Baseball Terms

alley, cleanup, nightcap, safety, save, shag

³single

verb

: to hit a single in baseball

sin·gledsin·gling \-g(ə-)liŋ\

Full Definition of SINGLE

transitive verb

: to select or distinguish from a number or group —usually used with out

a : to advance or score (a base runner) by a single

b : to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a single

intransitive verb

: to make a single in baseball

See single defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of SINGLE

1628

SINGLE Defined for Kids

¹single

adjective sin·gle \ˈsiŋ-gəl\

Definition of SINGLE for Kids

: being alone : being the only one <He … made a single effort to jump … — Walter Farley, The Black Stallion>

: being a separate whole : individual <… the sheriff pretended to study the menu—though he knew every single word on it by heart. — Robert McCloskey, Homer Price>

: not married

: made up of or having only one <The word has a single syllable.>

: made for only one person <a single bed>