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View synonyms for

single-handed

[ sing-guhl-han-did ]

adjective

  1. accomplished or done by one person alone:

    a single-handed victory; single-handed sailing.

  2. by one's own effort; unaided.


adverb

  1. by oneself; alone; without aid:

    He built the garage single-handed.

single-handed

adjective

  1. unaided or working alone

    a single-handed crossing of the Atlantic

  2. having or operated by one hand or one person only
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌԲ-ˈ󲹲Ի, adverb
  • ˌԲ-ˈ󲹲ԻԱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • g-󲹲ԻĻ·Ա noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of single-handed1

First recorded in 1700–10
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Because the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has seized control of the tariff agenda and has almost single-handedly calmed markets and the rest of the world.

From

While he may have burnt bridges with influential boxing people down to a crisp, Eubank is perfectly capable of single-handedly promoting a fight.

From

Former Arsenal defender Matthew Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live it was "a night to remember" for Rice and he had "single-handedly made the difference".

From

Hernández almost single-handedly dragged them back within striking distance, launching a solo home run off the right-field foul pole in the fourth inning before lining an RBI double inside the third-base bag in the fifth.

From

"She has single-handedly raised him to be one of the nicest people I have known."

From

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More About Single Handed

doessingle-handed mean?

Single-handed is used to describe something done or accomplished alone—without help from anyone, as in a single-handed attempt.

It can also be used as an adverb meaning the same thing as single-handedly, as in Carol completed the project single-handed—she did every last thing herself.

Single-handed is also used in situations in which someone has done something without help from anyone else even though they were available, as in She beat the other team single-handed—scoring the final 15 points of the game by herself.

Example: This usually takes three or four people, so how did you manage to do it single-handed?

Where doessingle-handed come from?

The first records of the term single-handed come from the 1700s. Single-handed and the adverb form single-handedly come from the concept of something being done by one pair of hands—that is, one person.

Single-handed is often used to emphasize the impressiveness of something having been performed by one person. It is used to highlight the fact that the task normally requires a group of people to do.

For this reason, single-handed is commonly used in hyperbolic descriptions of a person’s abilities or of the difficulty of the task they accomplished, as in Her single-handed voyage changed history.

Did you know ... ?

are some other forms related to single-handed?

are some synonyms for single-handed?

are some words that share a root or word element with single-handed?

are some words that often get used in discussing single-handed?

How issingle-handed used in real life?

Single-handed is used to indicate that someone accomplished a (usually impressive) task by themselves.

Try usingsingle-handed!

Is single-handed used correctly in the following sentence?

The carpenter managed to repair the bridge single-handed, with help from his assistants.

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