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• single parent
  single parent

  noun

  a parent or guardian who brings up a child or children alone, without a partner.
• single-parent
  single-parent

  adjective

  of or noting a family in which a parent brings up a child or children alone, without a partner: a single-parent household.

single parent

¹ American  

noun

single parents plural

1. a parent or guardian who brings up a child or children alone, without a partner.

   Being a single parent isn’t easy.

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single-parent ² American  

[sing-guhl-pair-uhnt, ‐-par-uhnt] / ˈsɪŋ gəlˈpɛər ənt, ‐ˈpær ənt /

adjective

1. of or noting a family in which a parent brings up a child or children alone, without a partner: a single-parent household.

   a single-parent family;

   a single-parent household.

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single parent British  

noun

1. Also called (NZ): solo parent. 

   1. a person who has a dependent child or dependent children and who is widowed, divorced, or unmarried

   2. ( as modifier )

      a single-parent family

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• single parents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of single parent¹

First recorded in 1850–60

Origin of single-parent²

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

single parent single-parent

The report sorted American households into seven distinct family structures: intact married, single parent, blended, unmarried biological or adoptive, cohabiting, extended and other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Abigail Wood, chief executive at Gingerbread, a charity for single parent families, said it had campaigned for a reform of the CMS as it was "failing parents and children alike".

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

As a single parent, Porter argues she is acutely aware of gas and grocery prices — as well as higher-stakes consequences.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

He has largely been a single parent to Shy’tyra and her siblings, who need some support too, although they’re more self-sufficient.

From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026

Their daughter, Tanya, was five years old, and Marina was only twenty-three when she became a single parent.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

There was a noteworthy gap between two-parent households and single-parent households: 48% of families with two or more adults and two children fell below the $149,600 yearly threshold for economic security for that household type.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 18, 2026

Yet his parents divorced when he was young, and he consequently seemed to have two lives: one with his struggling single-parent mom, the other with his affluent father.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

Although my decision was fueled by single-parent shame, his decision was matter-of-fact.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025

"It was mainly a single-parent household," says Buckle.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025

She’s an only child who lives in a single-parent home.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell