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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

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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Etymology

Origin of single parent¹

First recorded in 1850–60

Origin of single-parent²

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

She is a single parent and working full-time.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

He has largely been a single parent to Shy’tyra and her siblings, who need some support too, although they’re more self-sufficient.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

For a single parent without childcare, or a worker living paycheck to paycheck, that isn’t a manageable tradeoff—it’s an insurmountable one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

I’m a 58-year-old single parent with two children.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

Their daughter, Tanya, was five years old, and Marina was only twenty-three when she became a single parent.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein