single out
Meaning(s)
1. focus on a single person or thing within a group
Popularity
Medium
Professional
Medium
Social
How to Memorize
single someone out for praise/attention/criticism
Analysis
The phrasal verb ‘to single out’ something or someone means to focus on an object or a person as an individual within a given group. A teacher might ‘single out’ a student in order to receive the answer to a question for example or you might ‘single someone out’ for special treatment. This can be used in social and professional contexts.
Social Examples (Advance)
- The teacher would often single Mary out for extra attention because she struggled badly in class.
- As the best player on the team, the opposition singled me out as their biggest threat. It meant that I was fouled more than any of my teammates.
- All the projects were praised, but Alex's was singled out by the judges for its originality.
Professional Examples (Advance)
- I am not going to single out anyone in particular but there have been a few breaches in protocol that need to be addressed within this team.
- I was ready to admit to my mistake but I wasn't impressed that the team leader singled me out as an example to everyone else.