Читаем Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

sing|ing /s I ŋ I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Singing is the activity of making musical sounds with your voice. □  …a people's carnival, with singing and dancing in the streets. □ [+ of ] …the singing of a traditional hymn. □  She's having singing lessons.

sin|gle ◆◆◆ /s I ŋg ^ə l/ (singles , singling , singled )

1 ADJ [ADJ n] You use single to emphasize that you are referring to one thing, and no more than one thing. [EMPHASIS ] □  A single shot rang out. □  Over six hundred people were wounded in a single day. □  She hadn't uttered a single word.

2 ADJ You use single to indicate that you are considering something on its own and separately from other things like it. [EMPHASIS ] □  Every single house in town had been damaged. □  The Middle East is the world's single most important source of oil.

3 ADJ Someone who is single is not married. You can also use single to describe someone who does not have a girlfriend or boyfriend. □  Is it difficult being a single mother? □  Gay men are now eligible to become foster parents whether they are single or have partners.

4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A single room is a room intended for one person to stay or live in. □  A single room at the Astir Hotel costs £56 a night. ● N‑COUNT Single is also a noun. □  It's £65 for a single, £98 for a double and £120 for an entire suite.

5 ADJ [ADJ n] A single bed is wide enough for one person to sleep in.

6 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A single ticket is a ticket for a journey from one place to another but not back again. [BRIT ] □  The price of a single ticket is thirty-nine pounds. ● N‑COUNT Single is also a noun. □ [+ to ] …a Club Class single to Los Angeles. [in AM, use one-way ]

7 N‑COUNT A single or a CD single is a CD which has a few short songs on it. You can also refer to the main song on a CD as a single . □  The winners will get a chance to release their own single.

8 N‑UNCOUNT Singles is a game of tennis or badminton in which one player plays another. The plural singles can be used to refer to one or more of these matches. □  The British player won the men's singles.

9 → see also single-

10in single file → see file

▸  single out PHRASAL VERB If you single someone out from a group, you choose them and give them special attention or treatment. □ [V n P ] The gunman had singled Debilly out and waited for him. □ [V n P + for ] His immediate superior has singled him out for a special mention. □ [V P n] We wanted to single out the main threat to civilisation. [Also V P n (not pron) for/as n] [Also V n P + as ] SYNONYMS single ADJ 1

sole:Their sole aim is to destabilize the government.

solitary:…the occasional solitary figure making a study of wildflowers.

lone:He was shot by a lone gunman.

single- /s I ŋg ^ə l-/ COMB single- is used to form words which describe something that has one part or feature, rather than having two or more of them. □  The single-engine plane landed in western Arizona. □  …a single-track road.

si ngle-brea sted ADJ A single-breasted coat, jacket, or suit fastens in the centre of the chest and has only one row of buttons.

si n|gle crea m N‑UNCOUNT Single cream is thin cream that does not have a lot of fat in it. [BRIT ] in AM, use light cream

si ngle-de cker (single-deckers ) N‑COUNT A single-decker or a single-decker bus is a bus with only one deck. [BRIT ]

si ngle-ha nded ADV [ADV after v] If you do something single-handed , you do it on your own, without help from anyone else. □  I brought up my seven children single-handed.