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• single parent
  single parent

  noun

  a parent or guardian who brings up a child or children alone, without a partner.
• single-parent
  single-parent

  adjective

  of or noting a family in which a parent brings up a child or children alone, without a partner: a single-parent household.

single parent

¹ American  

noun

• single parents
  plural

1. a parent or guardian who brings up a child or children alone, without a partner.

   Being a single parent isn’t easy.

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single-parent ² American  

[sing-guhl-pair-uhnt, ‐-par-uhnt] / ˈsɪŋ gəlˈpɛər ənt, ‐ˈpær ənt /

adjective

1. of or noting a family in which a parent brings up a child or children alone, without a partner: a single-parent household.

   a single-parent family;

   a single-parent household.

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single parent British  

noun

1. Also called (NZ): solo parent. 

   1. a person who has a dependent child or dependent children and who is widowed, divorced, or unmarried

   2. ( as modifier )

      a single-parent family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• single parents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of single parent¹

First recorded in 1850–60

Origin of single-parent²

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

single parent single-parent

Her mother, a single parent, told the local press that the controversy had forced them to move home a number of times.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

It doesn’t matter if one’s ancestorial roots are in slavery, religious persecution, Appalachian poverty, a single parent family or New York projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

“A single parent raising a kid, they have to take time off work, they have to get child care. It just seems like if that’s our system, it isn’t really working for us.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

She’s a teenager, but I’m a single parent, so you know I’m already on the hunt for funds.

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

“This is a boarding school, and the boys are from the capital. Not a single parent has made it here since the attack started.”

From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer

Children raised in two-parent families in which one parent is employed full time already have a host of advantages, while children raised in low-income single-parent households are more likely to face significant challenges.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

In 52% of two-parent households, both adults work full-time, according to Census Bureau data, and about 25% of children 17 and under live in single-parent households.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

There was a noteworthy gap between two-parent households and single-parent households: 48% of families with two or more adults and two children fell below the $149,600 yearly threshold for economic security for that household type.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026

In her work as a policy analyst, she is advocating for “more financial support for married, working families in particular alongside the social support systems we have in place for single-parent families already.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025

Three-quarters of the children come from single-parent homes.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell