single parent

English

Noun

single parent (plural single parents)

1. A parent who is the only guardian of offspring.
   • 2026 August 6, Nicholas Muhoro, “An Ohio Teen Vanished During a One-Mile Drive in 1994. Her Locked Car Was Found Hours Later”, in Skip Boring‎^[1], archived from the original on 6 August 2026:

     For the majority of Shaylene’s upbringing, Darlene raised them as a single parent. She worked very hard to support the household, often times balancing three jobs to keep the household afloat.

Synonyms

• sole provider

Related terms

• single father
• single mother

Translations

only parent bringing up a child

• Danish: aleneforælder c
• Estonian: üksikvanem
• Finnish: yksinhuoltaja (fi)
• Georgian: მარტოხელა მშობელი (marṭoxela mšobeli)
• German: Alleinerziehender (de) m, Alleinerziehende (de) f
• Māori: matua takakau
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: aleneforelder (no) m, aleineforelder m

  Nynorsk: aleineforelder m, åleineforelder m

• Swedish: ensamstående (sv) c

Verb

single parent (third-person singular simple present single parents, present participle single parenting, simple past and past participle single parented)

1. To act as the only guardian of offspring.
   • 2008, Deanna Davis, The Law of Attraction in Action, →ISBN, page 6:

     My husband would, no doubt, be the slightest bit fatigued from having single-parented a precocious preschooler 24/7 for a week.

   • 2009, Samuel D. G. Heath, The American Poet: Weedpatch Gazette for 1997, →ISBN, page 286:

     My degrees and credentials are largely oriented to working with children and young adults in many different capacities. And I've single parented.

   • 2013, J. W. Wiley, The Nigger in You, →ISBN:

     I was single parenting and imagined that if this man and I argued or fought there would be a good chance he would be believed, not me.