single-handed

American  

[sing-guhl-han-did] / ˈsɪŋ gəlˈhæn dɪd /

adjective

1. accomplished or done by one person alone.

   a single-handed victory; single-handed sailing.

2. by one's own effort; unaided.

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adverb

1. by oneself; alone; without aid.

   He built the garage single-handed.

single-handed British  

adjective

1. unaided or working alone

   a single-handed crossing of the Atlantic

2. having or operated by one hand or one person only

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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

• single-handedly adverb
• single-handedness noun

Etymology

Origin of single-handed

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

The league's reigning Most Valuable Player suffered a head blow, a sprained knee and a hand injury in last weekend's hard-fought clash with Jacksonville, but almost single-handedly dragged his team over the line.

From Barron's

He will be one of a dozen votes on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, and can’t single-handedly force rates down.

From Barron's

Bills quarterback Allen was once again the hero for Buffalo, almost single-handedly dragging his team over the line against the in-form Jaguars side led by Trevor Lawrence.

From Barron's

"She single-handedly gets the blame for all of the oddities that we find. She just did not follow any rules."

From BBC

Some doctors prescribe medications to their patients at alarming rates, at times single-handedly ordering eight or more drugs for a single patient.

From The Wall Street Journal