Phrase guide

single out

verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • sĭng′gəl out′
  • Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈaʊ̯t/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈæɔ̯t/
  • New-Zealand: /ˌsəŋ.ɡəl ˈæʊ̯t/
  • Scotland: /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəl ˈʌʊ̯t/

1

verb

Meaning 1

To select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • Eddie singled out his favorite marble from the bag.
  • Yvonne always wondered why Ernest had singled her out of the group of giggling girls she hung around with.
  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:single out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mark out, pick out

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

select from a group

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She was singled out for her outstanding performance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: choose, take, select, pick out

3

verb

Meaning 3

treat differently on the basis of sex or race

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: discriminate, separate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart

Narrower terms: isolate, insulate, hive off, segregate, redline, disadvantage, disfavor, disfavour

History

Etymology

From single (“to take alone, or one by one”, intransitive archaic verb) + out. First attested in 1629.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: ottaa silmätikuksi — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Finnish: kohdella toisin kuin muita — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • French: distinguer — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • French: singulariser — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • German: gesondert behandeln — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • German: aussondern — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • German: auswählen — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Italian: eccettuare — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Macedonian: и́збере (ízbere) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Macedonian: и́здвои (ízdvoi) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Macedonian: о́ддели (óddeli) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Macedonian: о́двои (ódvoi) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Polish: wyróżniać — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Polish: wyróżnić — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: обособля́ть (obosobljátʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: обосо́бить (obosóbitʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: отбира́ть (otbirátʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: отобра́ть (otobrátʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: вычленя́ть (vyčlenjátʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: вы́членить (výčlenitʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: выделя́ть (vydeljátʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Russian: вы́делить (výdelitʹ) — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Spanish: seleccionar — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently
  • Spanish: singularizar — to select (someone or something) from a group and highlight them or treat them differently