single-handedly

[sing-guhl-han-did-lee]

adverb

1. in a single-handed manner; single-handed.

Word History and Origins

Origin of single-handedly¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Soon after, Halligan almost single-handedly secured the indictments of Comey on charges of lying to Congress and James on allegations of mortgage fraud.

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A president who has reveled in his ability to single-handedly direct policy—often prompting stocks, bonds, and the dollar to swing rapidly—now suddenly finds himself more constrained.

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"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."

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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.

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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.

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Related Words

• courageously www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does single-handedly mean?

Single-handedly means done or accomplished alone—without help from anyone, as in Carol completed the project single-handedly—she did every last thing herself. Single-handedly is the adverb form of the adjective single-handed, which is used to describe something done by one person, as with a single-handed attempt. Single-handed can also be used as an adverb, as in Abdul sailed the boat single-handed. Single-handedly is also used in situations in which someone has done something without help from anyone else even though they were available, as in She single-handedly beat the other team—scoring the final 15 points of the game by herself. Example: Lori single-handedly solved the math equation that had stumped mathematicians for years.