single-track
Americanadjective
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(of a railroad or section of a railroad's route) having but one set of tracks, so that trains going in opposite directions must be scheduled to meet only at points where there are sidings.
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having a narrow scope; one-track.
He has a single-track mind.
adjective
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(of a railway) having only a single pair of lines, so that trains can travel in only one direction at a time
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(of a road) only wide enough for one vehicle
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able to think about only one thing; one-track
Etymology
Origin of single-track
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The investment would convert a mostly single-track, diesel-operated line into a fully electric, double-track high-capacity route.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Its extra ground clearance, improved approach and departure angles, and enhanced off-road hardware and software enabled this model to eat up miles and miles of single-track dirt roads with ease.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025
It’s the first single-track connection from Carson City to Lake Tahoe.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2024
Trains will single-track in that area, as the whole 1 Line operates at 12 minutes between trains.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 8, 2023
The single-track dirt road had deep wagon ruts, and it like to jolted us to pieces.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
