single-use

adjective

Designed or intended to be used one time and then discarded or disposed of.

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Meanings

adjectivesingle-use (not comparable)
  1. not comparableDesigned or intended to be used one time and then discarded or disposed of.

    Filtrona Plastics, Victoria, has supplied Malaysia with $20 000 worth of single-use plastic ware for hospitals and laboratories.

    1981 December 4, Overseas Trading, page 757, column 2
    1 more example

    For example, more than 100 cities have adopted restrictions on polystyrene takeout containers, and the state has banned single-use plastic grocery bags.

    2018 February 20, “Grocery bags and takeout containers aren't enough. It's time to phase out all single-use plastic”, in Los Angeles Times

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
disposablethrowaway

Origin

Bahuvrīhi compound of single + use.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan d'un sol ús
  • d'un sol úsdesigned to be used one time
Finnish kertakäyttöinen
  • kertakäyttöinendesigned to be used one time
Hindi एकल-प्रयोग
  • एकल-प्रयोग (ekal-prayog)designed to be used one time
Hungarian egyszer használatos
  • egyszer használatosdesigned to be used one time
Indonesian habis pakai, sekali pakai
  • habis pakaidesigned to be used one time
  • sekali pakaidesigned to be used one time
Irish aonúsáide
  • aonúsáidedesigned to be used one time
Lithuanian vienkartinis, vienkartis
  • vienkartinisdesigned to be used one time
  • vienkartisdesigned to be used one time
Persian یکبار مصرف
  • یکبار مصرفdesigned to be used one time
Russian одноразовый
  • одноразовый (odnorazovyj)designed to be used one time
Spanish de un solo uso, desechable
  • de un solo usodesigned to be used one time
  • desechabledesigned to be used one time
  • de usar y tirardesigned to be used one time
Swedish engångs-
  • engångs-designed to be used one time
Ukrainian одноразо́вий
  • одноразо́вий (odnorazóvyj)designed to be used one time
Welsh untro
  • untrodesigned to be used one time
Cite this entry
APA

single-use. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/single-use

MLA

“single-use.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/single-use. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “single-use,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/single-use.

Source: single-use on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.