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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

He trusts his faith and his mother, who has raised him as a single parent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

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

A single parent, Deilisbeth was away at work when the earthquake struck.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

She is clear her mother, a single parent bringing up three children, was central to everything she achieved.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Joaquin thinks Linda might become a single parent if that happens.

From "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway

Children raised in two-parent families in which one parent is employed full time already have a host of advantages, while children raised in low-income single-parent households are more likely to face significant challenges.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

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

Born into a single-parent household in Chester in 1959, Ball was given up for adoption when he was 18 months old.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2025

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

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell