single-parent
[sing-guh l-pair-uh nt, ‐par-uh nt]
- of or noting a family in which a parent brings up a child or children alone, without a partner: a single-parent family; a single-parent household.
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Origin of single-parent
First recorded in 1965–70
single parent
- 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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Origin of single parent
First recorded in 1850–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for single-parent
Contemporary Examples
Single-parent, same-sex, and common-law families barely penetrated public consciousness, much less the Hebrew lexicon.
People-Powered Social Revolution in Israel Promotes Rights of Same-Sex FamiliesIrit Rosenblum
November 15, 2013
The fact that the new president of the United States was the product of a single-parent home was cited by both sides.
I come from a single-parent family, and am a single child, so I spent a fair amount of time on my own, usually reading.
More than half of all American children will spend some time as a member of a single-parent family.
Sons grew up to become less likely to form bonds with mates, making another generation of single-parent vole families more likely.
single parent
- a person who has a dependent child or dependent children and who is widowed, divorced, or unmarried
- (as modifier)a single-parent family
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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