single parent
1296
thoughts, efforts etc, to a particular aim; CONCENTRATION: He worked with great singleness of purpose (=determination) for his friend's election.
single 'parent n a woman who no longer lives with the father of her children, or a man who no longer lives with the mother of his children, or a woman who has chosen to have a child on her own: a single-parent family
sin-gles /'sɪŋɡəlz/ n pl. singles a match, especially of tennis, played by one player against one other person → compare DOUBLES
'singles bar n a bar used especially as a meeting place, especially for young, single people
sin-glet /'sɪŋɡlət/ n BrE a man's garment without SLEEVES worn as a VEST or as an outer shirt when playing some sports
single track 'road n (in Britain) a road in some country areas such as the Scottish Highlands or Cornwall which is only wide enough for one car. A single track road usually has passing places to allow cars going in opposite directions to pass each other and fast cars to get past slow cars going in the same direction.
single yellow 'line n in the UK, a thick yellow line painted along the side of the road, which means that you can park there in the evening and at weekends, but not at other times → compare DOUBLE YELLOW LINES
sin-gly /'sɪŋɡli/ adv separately; by itself or themselves; one by one: Some guests came singly, others in groups.
'Sing Sing a prison in New York State, known in the past for controlling prisoners very strictly
sing-song /'sɪŋsɒŋ-sɔːŋ/ n 1 [S] a repeated rising and falling of the voice in speaking: She talked in a strange singsong (voice). 2 [C] BrE an informal gathering or party for singing songs
sin-gu-lar¹ /'sɪŋɡjʊlər/ adj 1 of or being a word or form representing exactly one: The noun 'mouse' is singular; it is the singular form of 'mice'. | Collective nouns can be used with a singular or plural verb. → compare PLURAL 2 fml very noticeable; unusually great: a woman of singular beauty | He showed a singular lack of tact in the way he handled the situation. 3 old-fash fml very unusual or strange; out of the ordinary → see also SINGULARLY
singular² n (a word in) a form representing only one: 'Trousers' has no singular; it can't be expressed in the singular.
sin-gu-lar-i-ty /ˌsɪŋɡjʊ'lærəti/ n 1 [U] old-fash fml strangeness 2 [C] tech for BLACK HOLE 3 [C] a set of events which do not obey known laws of nature, such as those supposed to have happened at the BIG BANG or inside a BLACK HOLE
sin-gu-lar-ly /'sɪŋɡjʊləli-lərli/ adv fml 1 particularly; very (much): a singularly beautiful woman | a singularly unsuccessful attempt to gain publicity 2 old-fash strangely; in an unusual way
Sin-ha-lese /ˏsɪnhə'liːz/ also Singhalese n 1 the Sinhalese [P] one of the peoples of Sri Lanka, who form about 70% of the population there 2 [U] the main language of Sri Lanka —Sinhalese adj
sin-is-ter /'sɪnɪstər/ adj threatening, intending, or suggesting evil or unpleasantness: In the shadows we could make out a sinister figure in a black cloak. | a sinister plot | (infml) There's a sinister-looking crack in the roof.
sink¹ /sɪŋk/ v sank /sæŋk/ or sunk /sʌŋk/, sunk 1 [I;T] a) to go down below a surface, out of sight, or to the bottom (of water): This rubber ball won't sink; it floats. | The ship hit a rock and sank with the loss of a hundred lives. | The moon sank below the hills. | (fig.) That actress you used to like seems to have sunk without trace. (=disappeared completely from public notice) b) to cause (especially a ship) to sink: The ship was sunk by an enemy torpedo. | (fig., infml) This lack of money could sink our plans (=make them fail); if we can't get some more investment we're sunk. 2 [I] to fall to a lower level or position: It was several days before the flood waters sank and life returned to normal. 3 [I(to)] to get smaller; go down in number, value, strength etc: The population of the island has sunk from a hundred to twenty. | The Bank of England took action to prevent the pound from sinking (=losing value) any further. | His voice sank to a whisper. | (fig.) How could you sink to (doing) this? (=to such bad or dishonourable behaviour) 4 [+adv/prep] to fall or pass uncontrollably into another state, especially because of tiredness or lack of strength: She fainted and sank to the ground. | He sank into the chair and fell asleep at once. | She sank into a deep sleep/into unconsciousness. 5 [I] a) to become weaker; fail; DETERIORATE: The patient is sinking fast and may not live through the night. b) to lose confidence or hope: My heart/spirits sank when I realized how much work I still had to do. → see also SINKING FEELING 6 [+adv/prep] to pass gradually into a worse condition; DECLINE: a neglected inner-city area that has sunk further into poverty and decay | He sank into a deep depression. | Our hearts sank when we heard the news. 7 [T] to make by digging into the earth: We sank a well to try and find water. | to sink a mine shaft 8 [T] to stop considering, especially because of a more important aim; forget: We've got to sink our differences/disagreements and fight our common enemy. 9 [T(in, into)] to put (money, labour etc) into; INVEST: I've sunk all my money into this business, so it had better succeed. 10 [T] infml (in games like GOLF and SNOOKER) to cause (a ball) to go into a hole 11 sink or swim to fail or succeed without help from others: He was left by his family to sink or swim by himself → see also SUNKEN, rats deserting a sinking ship (RAT) —-able adj
sink in phr v [I] 1 to enter a solid through the surface: If the ink sinks in it'll be hard to remove the mark from the cloth. 2 to become fully understood; get a firm place in the mind: The news was such a shock, it still hasn't really sunk in yet.
sink (sthg.) into sthg. phr v to put, force, or go below or into: The dog sank its teeth into my leg.
sink² n 1 a a large open container especially in a kitchen, for washing pans, vegetables etc, fixed to a wall and usually with pipes to supply and carry away water: The dirty dishes are in the sink. → compare WASHBASIN 2 [+of] especially lit an evil place; DEN: a sink of corruption → see also everything but the kitchen sink (KITCHEN)
sink-er /'sɪŋkər/ n a weight fixed to a fishing line or net to keep the end down under water → see also hook, line, and sinker (HOOK)
'sinking feeling n [S] infml an uncomfortable feeling in the stomach caused by hunger or by fear or helplessness, especially because something bad is about to happen → see also SINK
'sinking fund n a sum of money saved by a government, company etc, and added to regularly, for paying a debt at a future time
sin-ner /'sɪnər/ n especially lit or bibl a person who SINS; someone who has disobeyed God
Sinn Féin /ˏʃɪn 'feɪn/ an Irish political party, active especially in Northern Ireland, which wants Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland. It is sometimes called the 'political wing of the IRA', and in the past supported the use of violence against British rule in Northern Ireland. From the mid-1990s, Sinn Féin had an active part in the 'peace process' (=the attempts to achieve a peaceful solution to the problems of Northern Ireland) under its president Gerry ADAMS.
Sino- /saɪnəʊ/ prefix 1 of China; Chinese 2 Chinese and: Sino-Japanese trade
si-nol-o-gy /saɪ'nɒlədʒi||-'nɑː-/ n [U] fml the study of Chinese language, history, literature etc —gist n
sin-u-ous /'sɪnjuəs/ adj twisting like a snake; full of curves; winding: The river wound its sinuous way across the plain. | a dancer's sinuous grace —-ly adv —osity /ˏsɪnju'ɒsɪti||-'ɑː-/ n [C;U]
si-nus /'saɪnəs/ n any of the air-filled spaces in the bones of the face that have an opening into the nose: I always get sinus trouble (=a sinus infection) in cold weather.
si-nus-i-tis /ˏsaɪnə'saɪtɪs/ n [U] a condition in which your sinuses swell up and become painful
Sioux /suː/ also Dakota 1 the Sioux [P] a Native American tribe from Minnesota and the Dakotas 2 [C] a member of this tribe → see Cultural Note at NATIVE AMERICAN —Sioux adj: a Sioux village
sip¹ /sɪp/ v -pp- [I(̚);T] to drink, taking only a little at a time into the front of the mouth: I sipped at it suspiciously, not knowing what it was going to taste like. | She sipped her tea delicately.