Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Involving, performed by, or consisting of only one person: Used to describe an activity, performance, or object designed for or executed by a single individual.
   • Operated or controlled by a single person: Describes a system, business, or operation run solely by one individual.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • He started a one-man campaign to clean up the local park.
  • The one-man band played the guitar, harmonica, and drums simultaneously.
  • It was essentially a one-man operation until the business grew.

Advanced Usage

• "one-man show": A performance, such as a play or comedy act, carried out by a single performer.
  • The actor received critical acclaim for his powerful one-man show about a historical figure.
• "one-man army": (Informal/Idiomatic) A person who is exceptionally capable and achieves a lot alone, as if they were multiple people.
  • In the startup's early days, the founder was a one-man army, handling development, marketing, and sales.

Variants and Related Words

• One-person (adj): A synonym often used interchangeably, especially to be gender-neutral (e.g., a one-person tent, a one-person committee).
• One-woman (adj): The feminine equivalent, used specifically when the single individual is a woman (e.g., a one-woman exhibition).

Synonyms

• Solo: Done by one person alone (e.g., a solo performance, a solo journey).
• Single-handed: Achieved by one person without help from others.

Related Phrases

• One-man band: Literally, a musician who plays multiple instruments simultaneously; figuratively, a person who runs every part of a small operation alone.
  • As a freelance designer, developer, and writer, she's a real one-man band.
• One-man rule: A system of government or leadership where absolute power is held by a single person.
  • The country suffered for decades under one-man rule.

Adjective

1. designed for or restricted to a single person
   • a one-man show
   • a one-person tent
   • Sarah Silverman's hilarious one-woman show