single-handedly
Americanadverb
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of single-handedly
First recorded in 1880–85
Explanation
When you do something single-handedly, you do it on your own, with no help from anyone else. Superheroes are known for single-handedly defeating bad guys. Use the adverb single-handedly when a person achieves something independently, especially when it's especially admirable or difficult. Your mom might have single-handedly raised you and your siblings, or you might try to single-handedly move a dining room table out the front door before your yard sale. Single-handedly comes from the adjective single-handed, or "done without help," and both words have been in use since the early 1700's.
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.
“I’m not gonna let someone single handedly take me down.”
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025
If anyone could single handedly break down the nation’s ranch dressing supply without lifting a finger, it would be Taylor Swift.
From Salon • Oct. 23, 2023
The CEO of the organization, Michael Farris, got his start in the Christian homeschooling movement, which he single handedly transformed into a cultural and legal powerhouse.
From Slate • Jun. 30, 2022
“I think the shift is single handedly killing the game because now you’ve got everybody lifting the ball over the shift,” Smoltz said.
From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2018
He was moulding a nation single handedly, carving it from the slab of mutual hatred and animosity.
From Terrorists and Freedom Fighters by Vaknin, Samuel
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.
