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single out meaning and examples

2025-09-29

Meaning

  • Single out means to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, often for praise, criticism, or a particular purpose.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: phrasal verb (transitive).

  • Structure:

    • single out + object
    • Example: The teacher singled out Tom for his excellent work.

  • Used when highlighting one individual or thing from many.

Common Phrases

  • single out someone for praise – to give someone special recognition.
  • single out someone for criticism – to criticize one person among a group.
  • single out as – to identify or select as something specific.

Collocations

  • single out for praise
  • single out for criticism
  • single out one person
  • single out an example
  • single out as the best/worst

Examples

  1. The manager singled out Sarah for her outstanding performance.
  2. He felt unfairly singled out for criticism during the meeting.
  3. The teacher singled out two students as examples of excellent writing.
  4. The article singled out the company as a leader in innovation.
  5. She was singled out for praise after her brilliant presentation.
  6. The coach singled out the goalkeeper for saving the match.
  7. Reporters singled out the president’s speech as the highlight of the event.
  8. The judge singled out the painting as the winner.
  • pick out
  • choose
  • select
  • highlight
  • identify

Antonym

  • ignore
  • overlook
  • pass over