Vocabulary     

What does single mean?

Definitions for single
ˈsɪŋ gəlsin·gle

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word single.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. single, binglenoun

    a base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base

  2. one, 1, I, ace, single, unityadjective

    the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

    "he has the one but will need a two and three to go with it"; "they had lunch at one"

  3. individual, singleadjective

    being or characteristic of a single thing or person

    "individual drops of rain"; "please mark the individual pages"; "they went their individual ways"

  4. singleadjective

    used of flowers having usually only one row or whorl of petals

    "single chrysanthemums resemble daisies and may have more than one row of petals"

  5. singleadjective

    existing alone or consisting of one entity or part or aspect or individual

    "upon the hill stood a single tower"; "had but a single thought which was to escape"; "a single survivor"; "a single serving"; "a single lens"; "a single thickness"

  6. unmarried, singleadjective

    not married or related to the unmarried state

    "unmarried men and women"; "unmarried life"; "sex and the single girl"; "single parenthood"; "are you married or single?"

  7. individual, single(a)adjective

    characteristic of or meant for a single person or thing

    "an individual serving"; "single occupancy"; "a single bed"

  8. single(a)adjective

    having uniform application

    "a single legal code for all"

  9. single(a), undivided, exclusiveverb

    not divided among or brought to bear on more than one object or objective

    "judging a contest with a single eye"; "a single devotion to duty"; "undivided affection"; "gained their exclusive attention"

  10. singleverb

    hit a single

    "the batter singled to left field"

Wiktionary

  1. singlenoun

    A 45 RPM vinyl record with one song on side A and one on side B.

  2. singlenoun

    A popular song released and sold (on any format) nominally on its own though usually has at least one extra track.

    The Offspring released four singles from their most recent album.

  3. singlenoun

    One who is not married.

    He went to the party, hoping to meet some friendly singles there.

  4. singlenoun

    A score of one run.

  5. singlenoun

    A hit in baseball where the batter advances to first base.

  6. singlenoun

    A tile that has different values (i.e., number of pips) in each end.

  7. singlenoun

    A one-way ticket.

  8. singlenoun

    A score of one point, awarded when a kicked ball is dead within the non-kicking team's end zone or has exited that end zone. Officially known in the rules as a rouge.

  9. singleverb

    To identify or select one member of a group from the others; generally used with out, either to single out or to single (something) out.

  10. singleverb

    To get a hit that advances the batter exactly one base.

    Pedro singled in the bottom of the eighth inning, which, if converted to a run, would put the team back into contention.

  11. singleadjective

    Not accompanied by anything else.

    Can you give me a single reason not to leave right now?

  12. singleadjective

    Not divided in parts.

    The potatoes left the spoon and landed in a single big lump on the plate.

  13. singleadjective

    Designed for the use of only one.

    a single room

  14. singleadjective

    Not married nor dating

    Josh put down that he was a single male on the dating website.

  15. singleadjective

    Having only one rank or row of petals.

  16. singleadjective

    Simple and honest; sincere, without deceit.

  17. Etymology: sengle, from sengle, from singulus a diminutive from the root in simplex. See simple, and confer singular.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. SINGLEadjective

    Etymology: singulus, Latin.

    The words are clear and easy, and their originals are of single signification without any ambiguity. South.

    Some were single acts, though each compleat;
    But ev’ry act stood ready to repeat. Dryden.

    Then Theseus join’d with bold Pirithous came,
    A single concord in a double name. Dryden.

    High Alba,
    A lonely desart, and an empty land,
    Shall scarce afford, for needful hours of rest,
    A single house to their benighted guest. Joseph Addison, on Italy.

    Where the poesy or oratory shines, a single reading is not sufficient to satisfy a mind that has a true taste; nor can we make the fullest improvement of them without proper reviews. Isaac Watts, Improvement of the Mind.

    As no single man is born with a right of controuling the opinions of all the rest, so the world has no title to demand the whole time of any particular person. Alexander Pope.

    If one single word were to express but one simple idea, and nothing else, there would be scarce any mistake. Isaac Watts.

    As simple ideas are opposed to complex, and single ideas to compound, so propositions are distinguished: the English tongue has some advantage above the learned languages, which have no usual word to distinguish single from simple. Isaac Watts.

    Servant of God, well hast thou fought
    The better fight, who single hast maintain’d
    Against revolted multitudes the cause of truth. John Milton.

    His wisdom such,
    Three kingdoms wonder, and three kingdoms fear,
    Whilst single he stood forth. John Denham.

    In sweet possession of the fairy place,
    Single and conscious to myself alone,
    Of pleasures to th’ excluded world unknown. Dryden.

    Is the single man therefore blessed? no: as a walled town is more worthier than a village, so is the forehead of a married man more honourable than the bare brow of a batchelor. William Shakespeare.

    Pygmalion
    Abhorr’d all womankind, but most a wife;
    So single chose to live, and shunn’d to wed,
    Well pleas’d to want a consort of his bed. Dryden.

    To make flowers double is effected by often removing them into new earth; as, on the contrary, double flowers, by neglecting and not removing, prove single. Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

    The light of the body is the eye: if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Mat. vi. 22.

    He, when his country, threaten’d with alarms,
    Shall more than once the Punick bands affright,
    Shall kill the Gaulish king in single fight. John Dryden, Æn.

  2. To Singleverb

    Etymology: from the adjective.

    I saw him in the battle range about,
    And how he singled Clifford forth. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

    Every man may have a peculiar savour, which although not perceptible unto man, yet sensible unto dogs, who hereby can single out their master in the dark. Brown.

    Do’st thou already single me? I thought
    Gyves and the mill had tam’d thee. John Milton, Agonistes.

    Begin, auspicious boy, to cast about
    Thy infant eyes, and with a smile thy mother single out. Dry.

    Single the lowliest of the am’rous youth;
    Ask for his vows, but hope not for his truth. Matthew Prior.

    Yea simply, faith Basil, and universally, whether it be in works of nature, or of voluntary choice, I see not any thing done as it should be, if it be wrought by an agent singling itself from consorts. Richard Hooker.

    Many men there are, than whom nothing is more commendable when they are singled; and yet, in society with others, none less fit to answer the duties which are looked for at their hands. Richard Hooker.

    Hardly they heard, which by good hunters singled are. Philip Sidney.

Wikipedia

  1. Single

    I'm Single is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne, released as a single from his ninth solo mixtape, No Ceilings, and is also included on his eighth studio album I Am Not a Human Being. The song is produced by Noah "40" Shebib, with co-production from Omen. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics on its release, who complimented its relaxed, downbeat tone and also the production from Shebib and Omen.

ChatGPT

  1. single

    In general, the term "single" refers to something that is individual, separate, or existing in a solitary state. It can describe a person who is not married or in a committed relationship, a song or musical track released separately rather than as part of an album, or an object that is not part of a set or pair. The concept of being single can vary in meaning depending on the context in which it is used.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Singleadjective

    one only, as distinguished from more than one; consisting of one alone; individual; separate; as, a single star

  2. Singleadjective

    alone; having no companion

  3. Singleadjective

    hence, unmarried; as, a single man or woman

  4. Singleadjective

    not doubled, twisted together, or combined with others; as, a single thread; a single strand of a rope

  5. Singleadjective

    performed by one person, or one on each side; as, a single combat

  6. Singleadjective

    uncompounded; pure; unmixed

  7. Singleadjective

    not deceitful or artful; honest; sincere

  8. Singleadjective

    simple; not wise; weak; silly

  9. Singleverb

    to select, as an individual person or thing, from among a number; to choose out from others; to separate

  10. Singleverb

    to sequester; to withdraw; to retire

  11. Singleverb

    to take alone, or one by one

  12. Singleverb

    to take the irrregular gait called single-foot;- said of a horse. See Single-foot

  13. Singlenoun

    a unit; one; as, to score a single

  14. Singlenoun

    the reeled filaments of silk, twisted without doubling to give them firmness

  15. Singlenoun

    a handful of gleaned grain

  16. Singlenoun

    a game with but one player on each side; -- usually in the plural

  17. Singlenoun

    a hit by a batter which enables him to reach first base only

  18. Etymology: [L. singulus, a dim. from the root in simplex simple; cf. OE. & OF. sengle, fr. L. singulus. See Simple, and cf. Singular.]

Wikidata

  1. Single

    In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it usually appears on an album. Often, these are the most popular songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as commercial radio airplay, and in other cases a recording released as a single does not appear on an album.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Single

    sing′gl, adj. consisting of one only: individual, unique: separate, private: alone: unmarried: not combined with others: unmixed: having one only on each side: straightforward: sincere: simple, normal: pure.—v.t. to separate: to choose one from others: to select from a number.—adjs. Sing′le-act′ing, acting effectively in one direction only—of any reciprocating machine or implement; Sing′le-breast′ed, with a single row of buttons or loops only, of a coat, corsage, &c.—n. Single-en′try, a system of book-keeping in which each entry appears only once on one side or other of an account.—adj. Sing′le-eyed, having but one eye: devoted, unselfish.—ns. Sing′le-flow′er, a flower containing a single set of petals, as a wild rose; Sing′le-foot, a gait of horses, the amble.—adjs. Sing′le-hand′ed, by one's self: unassisted: having only one workman; Sing′le-heart′ed, having a single or sincere heart: without duplicity.—adv. Sing′le-heart′edly.—adj. Sing′le-mind′ed, having a single or sincere mind: upright.—ns. Sing′le-mind′edness; Sing′leness, state of being single or alone: freedom from deceit: sincerity: simplicity.—adj. Sing′le-soled, having a single sole, as a shoe: poor.—ns. Sing′le-stick, a stick or cudgel for one hand: a fight or game with singlesticks; Sing′let, an undershirt or waistcoat; Sing′leton, in whist, a hand containing one card only of some suit; Sing′letree (the same as Swingletree); Sing′le-wom′an, an unmarried woman: (obs.) a whore.—adv. Sing′ly, one by one: particularly: alone: by one's self: honestly: sincerely. [O. Fr.,—L. sin-gulus, one to each, separate, akin to sem-el, once, Gr. ham-a.]

Suggested Resources

  1. single

    Song lyrics by single -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by single on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. SINGLE

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Single is ranked #41886 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Single surname appeared 519 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Single.

    88.4% or 459 total occurrences were White.
    7.5% or 39 total occurrences were Black.
    2.1% or 11 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'single' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #534

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'single' in Written Corpus Frequency: #860

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'single' in Nouns Frequency: #2366

  4. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'single' in Adjectives Frequency: #60

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

Anagrams for single »

  1. slinge

How to pronounce single?

How to say single in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of single in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of single in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of single in a Sentence

  1. Robert Kessler:

    A single digit p/e would imply an S&P 500 below 1,109 -- a whopping 40 percent below current levels.

  2. Ben Carson:

    It took a month to actually find out who actually signed off on that, but the important thing is there were financial controls that were necessary that were not in place. We have put those in place. And the other important thing is that the order was cancelled with no consequences. So not a single penny that the taxpayers have to pay.

  3. Jonny Kim:

    Single cracks are usually not good. The crack, you know, in the crack, when I say crack, I mean when you are on the giving end of a rifle, you it's a much different sound than being on the receiving end of a rifle, that of a bullet that is supersonic makes a very distinctive crack. And when you hear that, and it's a single one, it generally is not good.

  4. Sven Spichiger:

    I want to very much clarify that a single dead specimen does not indicate a population, and for that reason, we will be taking some extra precautions and getting traps up in the area, but at this time, there is not enough evidence to support that a population exists in Snohomish County.

  5. David Blitzer:

    Home prices continue to rise and outpace both inflation and wage gains, while nationally, prices are recovering, new construction of single family homes remains very weak despite low vacancy rates among both renters and owner-occupied homes.

more sentences »

Popularity rank by frequency of use

single#1#578#10000

References

Translations for single

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • غير متزوج, أعزب, عزبArabic
  • escàpol, simple, single, batada d'una baseCatalan, Valencian
  • svobodný, jednotlivý, samotnýCzech
  • allein, gemeinsam, unverheiratet, einzig, einzel, vereint, alleinstehend, einzeln, solo, einheitlich, ledig, single, Alleinstehender, Junggesellin, Alleinstehende, Einer, Solomann, Junggeselle, Hagestolz, Solofrau, Jungfrau, SingleauskopplungGerman
  • ανύπαντρος, μονόκλινοGreek
  • unuopaĵoEsperanto
  • único, soltera, solo, soltero, sencilloSpanish
  • یکدونه, تک, مجرد, یک‌نفرهPersian
  • valita, sinkku, poimia, jakamaton, [[yhden]] [[hengen]], yksittäinen, silmätikku, naimaton, yksi, singleFinnish
  • célibataire, seul, simpleFrench
  • singilIrish
  • अविवाहितHindi
  • չամուսնացած, ամուրիArmenian
  • nubile, single, solo, singolo, celibeItalian
  • אחתHebrew
  • 独身, 独り, 未婚, シングル, 単打Japanese
  • 싱글, 하나의Korean
  • تاک دۆلاریKurdish
  • singulusLatin
  • onbestuetLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
  • bujangMalay
  • singel, singelplate, singleNorwegian
  • alleenstaand, vrijgezelDutch
  • singelplate, single, singelNorwegian Nynorsk
  • solitário, solteiro, particular, unitário, inteiro, único, single, solteiraPortuguese
  • necăsătorit, întreg, singular, singur, nedivizat, individual, unit, separat, celibatar, unitarRomanian
  • незамужняя, единственный, для одного, одинокий, одна, одинарный, неженатый, целый, холостой, единый, один, холостяк, незамужняя женщина, одиночка, синглRussian
  • sam, neoženjen, singl, синглSerbo-Croatian
  • enkel, enstaka, ensamstående, enda, enhetlig, ogift, odelad, singelSwedish
  • ஒற்றைTamil
  • เดี่ยวThai
  • bekarTurkish
  • синглUkrainian
  • độc thânVietnamese
  • selibikVolapük
  • 单身的Chinese

Get even more translations for single »

Translation

Find a translation for the single definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:

Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"single." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 16 Jan. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/single>.

Powered by CITE.ME Cite.Me

Discuss these single definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for single? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    #ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    kindly endorsement and guidance
    A congius
    B auspices
    C mealie
    D profaneness

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for single: