Meaning
In British English, a single ticket is a ticket for travel to a destination without the return journey, corresponding broadly to a one-way ticket in American English.
How it is used
Cambridge Dictionary marks single ticket as UK English for a journey to a place without the return journey. Collins independently labels it British and gives one-way ticket as the US and Canadian equivalent. In ordinary British ticketing speech, single is also commonly used by itself when the travel context is clear.
Examples
- “A single ticket to Brighton, please.”
- “Do you want a single or a return?”
- “I only need a single ticket because I'm getting a lift back.”
Pronunciation
/ˈsɪŋ.ɡəl ˌtɪk.ɪt/ · SING-guhl TIK-it
Tone and register
Neutral, standard, and practical British travel vocabulary. Single ticket is not slang.
Visitor guidance
Visitors can understand single ticket, or simply a single, as broadly equivalent to a one-way ticket. Do not infer fare flexibility, route validity, peak restrictions, refundability, reservation rules, or whether buying two singles is cheaper than a return; those conditions depend on the operator and fare product and require current information.
Cultural context
Single ticket is useful visitor vocabulary because British transport conversations often contrast a single with a return. The distinction is simple but immediately practical at railway stations, bus services, ticket offices, and booking interfaces, especially for visitors who are more accustomed to one-way and round-trip terminology.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.