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single

single

54 1.0
The number one or the digit 1
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪŋɡəl/
: uno
  • We were able to procure you a single at a table on the floor, adjacent to Mr. Marshall's.

Examples

  • Boats are grouped by the number of rowers onboard: singles, doubles, fours, and eights.

    Blog text (3)
  • I found a single single in my pocket when I checked for change.

  • - Third class single for London, please.

  • I charged you for a single.

  • I paid for a single.

  • I don't even have a single coin on my purse.

  • At twenty-nine dollars a pop for a single, it wasn't a bad deal.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • We leave you tonight with the newest smash single from Infant Sorrow.

  • Craft lost her quarterfinal singles match in a 3-6, 6-1, 10-7 heartbreaker to UCLA's Kaitlin.

    Blog text (7)
  • He used a single to pay for the bus fare.

Synonyms

one
vssingle
∞ 1.0

The number after zero and before two

also covers the digit symbol that stands for that numeric value
unity
vssingle
6 3.1

The number one in maths

focuses on the numeric value rather than the abstract idea of togetherness

Idioms

Something happens on every occasion without exception

Compounds

57 2.7

A mother who raises her children without a partner

19 2.8

A line of people or things where one is behind another

11 3.3

One object that is whole and not made from other parts

9 3.4

A very popular song released on its own that reaches the top of music charts

5 1.0

A bed for one person to sleep in

Typed or printed text that has no blank space between lines

One person does something without help from other people

A fight between two people to settle a dispute, often on a battlefield

1 4.3

A road that only lets one vehicle pass at a time in both directions

A jacket or coat that fastens with one row of buttons and has a small front overlap

An uninterrupted time spent doing something like reading or eating

single tax
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A system where people pay only one government charge, usually on land value

1 6.6

A base hit made by hitting the ball hard so the batter reaches first base

A joke or remark that has only one clear meaning

single prop
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A small plane with one propeller that people use for short flights

single-channel
  • Specialized
1 4.8

Sound that plays through one speaker, not left and right

A small pine tree from California that has single needles and cones with edible seeds

line single
  • Jargon
6.1

A hard straight hit that lets the batter reach first base

A house that stands alone and is not attached to other houses

2.7

A light cream with about 18% fat used in cooking and coffee

4.4

A basic hand stitch made by pulling yarn through one loop at a time

single entry
  • Specialized
6.7

A simple bookkeeping method that records only one side of each transaction

A punctuation mark like an apostrophe used to show speech or a quote inside another quote

single shell
  • Jargon
7.2

A narrow boat for one person who rows

single stitch
  • Specialized
5.7

A simple crochet action that pulls a loop through two loops on the hook

A small change in a gene where one DNA letter is different

single stitch
  • Specialized
3.7

A single thread used to close a cut in the skin after injury or surgery

An extra charge for a person staying alone in a hotel room or cabin

A jacket that closes with one row of buttons and has no front overlap

6.1

A simple way for small businesses to record each money transaction once

single-foot
  • Specialized
9.9

A smooth, fast way a horse moves with four separate foot beats

A gun that has only one barrel for bullets or shot

3.5

A room with one or more single beds for one person each

A jacket with one row of buttons and a front that overlaps slightly

single-furrow plow
  • Specialized
8.6

A farming tool with one blade that cuts one furrow

single-leaf pine
  • Specialized
8.1

A pine tree with one needle in each cluster that makes edible seeds

single-leaf pinyon
  • Specialized
7.9

A small pine tree with one needle in each group and edible nuts, native to the United States southwest

A voting system in which each area elects one representative

single-leaf
  • Specialized
9.9

A pine tree with one needle per bundle that makes nuts people eat

A musical instrument like a clarinet or saxophone that makes sound when air passes one reed

A wind instrument that uses one reed to make sound, like a clarinet or saxophone

A helicopter that has one main spinning blade and a tail rotor for balance

A plane that has one propeller to make it fly

single-shelled
  • Specialized
7.5

A creature that has one hard outer covering, like a snail

Typing text so each line has only a small space and no blank lines

7.4

A rule that gives exactly one output for each input

How Many

decad
  • Archaic
9.9
nonuple
  • Specialized
9.9
quintuple
2 6.8
quadruple
17 4.0
triple
194 2.6
double
∞ 1.0
single
54 1.0

Surface Forms

single singular
singles plural

Etymology

Single comes from the Latin root singul-, which means 'one', so a single can mean the number 'one', the smallest whole number.