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small

Syllabification: (small)
Pronunciation: /smôl/
Translate small | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of small

adjective

  • of a size that is less than normal or usual:the room was small and quiet the small hill that sheltered the house
  • not great in amount, number, strength, or power:a small amount of money
  • not fully grown or developed; young:as a small boy, he spent his days either reading or watching TV
  • used as the first letter of a word that has both a general and a specific use to show that in this case the general use is intended:I meant “catholic” with a small c
  • insignificant; unimportant:these are small points
  • (of a voice) lacking strength and confidence:“I’m scared,” she said in a small voice
  • [attributive] little; hardly any:the captain had been paying small attention
  • [attributive] (of a business or its owner) operating on a modest scale:a small farmer
  • archaic low or inferior in rank or position; socially undistinguished:at dinner, some of the smaller neighbors were invited

noun

(smalls) British informal
  • small items of clothing, especially underwear.

adverb

  • into small pieces:the okra cut up small
  • in a small size:you shouldn’t write so small

Phrases

feel (or look) small

feel (or look) contemptibly weak or insignificant.

it's a small world

used to express surprise at meeting an acquaintance or discovering a personal connection in a distant place or an unexpected context.

no small ——

a good deal of ——:a matter of no small consequence

the small of the back

the part of a person’s back where the spine curves in at the level of the waist.

small potatoes

informal something insignificant or unimportant:her business was small potatoes

small wonder

not very surprising:it’s small wonder that her emotions had seesawed

Derivatives

smallish

adjective

smallness

noun

Origin:

Old English smæl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch smal and German schmal

small in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of small in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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