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

Whereas Archer often carried the visitors' attack single-handedly, Australia always had another bowler ready to examine English technique, defence and spirit.

From BBC

Reiner almost single-handedly conceived and led the successful 1998 campaign for California’s Proposition 10, a tobacco tax to raise funds for early childhood health and education.

From Los Angeles Times

"With Palmer out, Caicedo has even become an important goalscorer and creator, as we saw on Saturday where he effectively won the game for the Blues single-handedly."

From BBC

However, he says that tech isn’t single-handedly carrying the load: Seven of the S&P 500’s 11 sectors are more profitable than normal.

From Barron's

Shohei Ohtani had almost single-handedly hauled the Dodgers back into the contest, blasting two home runs and getting on base a record nine times.

From Barron's