single-track
Americanadjective
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(of a railroad or section of a railroad's route) having but one set of tracks, so that trains going in opposite directions must be scheduled to meet only at points where there are sidings.
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having a narrow scope; one-track.
He has a single-track mind.
adjective
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(of a railway) having only a single pair of lines, so that trains can travel in only one direction at a time
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(of a road) only wide enough for one vehicle
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able to think about only one thing; one-track
Etymology
Origin of single-track
An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
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.
The investment would convert a mostly single-track, diesel-operated line into a fully electric, double-track high-capacity route.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Its extra ground clearance, improved approach and departure angles, and enhanced off-road hardware and software enabled this model to eat up miles and miles of single-track dirt roads with ease.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 26, 2025
After all, nothing better conveyed Lumon's unnerving forced fun than its heavily rationed waffle, melon and single-track dance parties.
From BBC • Jan. 17, 2025
It’s the first single-track connection from Carson City to Lake Tahoe.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2024
Our footpath crossed over four single-track paved roads but except for a cow grazing by one of the roads we hadn’t seen another creature bigger than a hedgehog.
From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff
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.
