singlet

[ sing-glit ]

noun
  1. a sleeveless athletic jersey, especially a loose-fitting top worn by runners, joggers, etc.

  2. a single unit; an unpaired or separate item.

  1. Chiefly British. a man's undershirt or jersey.

Origin of singlet

1
First recorded in 1740–50; single + -et

Words Nearby singlet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use singlet in a sentence

  • Annie swathed the bottle in an old flannel pit-singlet, and kissed her mother good-night.

    Sons and Lovers | David Herbert Lawrence
  • I was a little surprised to see him having on a green singlet and smock frock.

  • The whitish singlet and grey trousers held up by what is obviously his soldier brother's spare regimental belt is pure Lowestoft.

    Sea Warfare | Rudyard Kipling
  • My only garments were a flannel singlet and a pair of canvas trousers, so stiff that they creaked woodenly as I trotted along.

    The Log of a Sea-Waif | Frank T. Bullen
  • A few threads—I found out later—had been started on my singlet, but my hide was not even scratched.

    Sea-Hounds | Lewis R. Freeman

British Dictionary definitions for singlet

singlet

/ (ˈsɪŋɡlɪt) /


noun
  1. mainly British and Australian a man's sleeveless undergarment covering the body from the shoulders to the hips

  2. Australian a similar sleeveless garment worn as outerwear: Also called (in Britain): vest

  1. mainly British a garment worn with shorts by athletes, boxers, etc

  2. NZ a black woollen outer garment worn by bushmen

  3. physics a multiplet that has only one member

  4. chem a chemical bond consisting of one electron

Origin of singlet

1
C18: from single, on the model of doublet

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