single thread

British

noun

computing the execution of an entire task from beginning to end without interruption

"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

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.

"He's used them all at different times - there's not a single thread here that you can rely on."

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2025

For purposes of this specific Source Notes column, it’s perhaps best to park some issues and instead focus on a single thread: Is it really plagiarism to copy from Wikipedia without providing credit?

From Slate • Jan. 19, 2024

When even a single thread is pulled from that tapestry, the entire system can unravel.

From Scientific American • May 4, 2023

Underneath, they are bound by a single thread, one that can be traced to England.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2021

Some of the buttons were coming loose, and when she unbuttoned the first one, it hung down on a single thread.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023