badminton played with one person on each side
"We decided to play singles instead of doubles because it was easier to find partners for a quick match."
tennis played with one person on each side
"They decided to play singles instead of doubles since they were short on players for the evening match."
plural of single
"After the team tournament ended, everyone gathered to play some friendly singles at the local park."
a game between individual players
In plain English: Singles are people who are not currently in a romantic relationship with anyone.
"Many singles prefer to go on their own for dinner rather than in groups."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of single
"She singles out the most talented student from the entire class to receive an award."
In plain English: To singles means to separate something into individual pieces rather than keeping it together as a group.
"Please do not single him out for criticism in front of everyone."
Of or pertaining to unmarried people.
"The city council announced a new tax break specifically for singles living in downtown apartments."
In plain English: Singles describes something that is separate and not connected to anything else.
"The singles bar was packed with young people looking to meet someone new."
Usage: Use this adjective specifically when referring to individuals who are not married, such as in the phrase "singles event." Do not use it interchangeably with terms like "single-parent families," which describe a different family structure rather than marital status alone.
Derived from Old French singler, meaning "to separate," the term originally referred to something done alone or in isolation before evolving to denote unmarried individuals and music tracks played individually.