single-handed
Americanadjective
-
accomplished or done by one person alone.
a single-handed victory; single-handed sailing.
-
by one's own effort; unaided.
adverb
adjective
-
unaided or working alone
a single-handed crossing of the Atlantic
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having or operated by one hand or one person only
Usage
What does single-handed mean? Single-handed is used to describe something done or accomplished alone—without help from anyone, as in a single-handed attempt. It can also be used as an adverb meaning the same thing as single-handedly, as in Carol completed the project single-handed—she did every last thing herself. Single-handed is also used in situations in which someone has done something without help from anyone else even though they were available, as in She beat the other team single-handed—scoring the final 15 points of the game by herself. Example: This usually takes three or four people, so how did you manage to do it single-handed?
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of single-handed
First recorded in 1700–10
Explanation
If something is completely independent, with no help from anyone, it's single-handed. Your solo hiking expedition, for example, is single-handed. Use the adjective single-handed to describe something that's unassisted, or that's achieved without aid from other people. Your single-handed campaign for school president is undertaken without anyone's help, and your mom's single-handed parenting was done on her own. From the 1400's, the word single was used to mean "unsupported by others," and single-handed first came into use around 1700.
Vocabulary lists containing single-handed
Idioms and Expressions, List 3
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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 17-year-old from Lisburn in County Antrim, has made history with her Grade 8 piano distinction because she did it, quite literally, single-handed.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
I've got so much love for the genre, and I am the one who has been on a single-handed campaign to get "Bridget Jones" into the Criterion Collection.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025
He managed to accomplish virtually nothing: Almost none of his promises for single-handed economic revitalization, world domination, or intrepid urban crime-solving panned out.
From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2024
Born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos in New York in December 1923 to Greek parents, Callas was credited with the almost single-handed revival of the Italian bel canto vocal technique.
From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2023
“You’d think he was running a whole fleet of ships, single-handed, to hear her take on.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
