I. small 1 S1 W1 /smɔːl $ smɒːl/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative smaller , superlative smallest )
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: smæl ]
1 . SIZE not large in size or amount:
a small piece of paper
a small car
a small town
a small dark woman
The T-shirt was too small for him.
The sweater comes in three sizes – small, medium, and large.
Only a relatively small number of people were affected.
a small amount of money
A much smaller proportion of women are employed in senior positions.
2 . NOT IMPORTANT a small problem, job, mistake etc is not important or does not have a large effect SYN minor :
We may have to make a few small changes.
There’s been a small problem.
There’s only a small difference between them.
It was good to feel we had helped in some small way.
3 . no small degree/achievement/task etc a large degree, achievement etc:
The success of the project is due in no small measure to the work of Dr Peterson.
That is no small achievement in the circumstances.
4 . YOUNG a small child is young:
She has three small children.
I’ve known him since he was a small boy.
5 . small business/firm/farmer etc a business that does not involve large amounts of money or does not employ a large number of people:
grants for small businesses
6 . LETTER small letters are letters in the form a, b, c etc rather than A, B, C etc SYN lower case OPP capital
7 . conservative with a small 'c'/democrat with a small 'd' etc informal someone who believes in the principles you have mentioned, but does not belong to an organized group or political party
8 . VOICE a small voice is quiet and soft:
‘What about me?’ she asked in a small voice.
9 . look/feel small to seem or feel stupid, unimportant, or ashamed:
She jumped at any opportunity to make me look small.
10 . (it’s a) small world especially spoken used to express surprise when you unexpectedly meet someone you know or find out that someone has an unexpected connection to you:
Did you know David went to school with my brother? It’s a small world, isn’t it?
11 . a small fortune a large amount of money
cost/spend/pay a small fortune
It must have cost him a small fortune.
12 . small change coins of low value:
I didn’t have any small change for the parking meter.
13 . be thankful/grateful for small mercies/favours to be pleased that a bad situation is not even worse:
She wasn’t too badly hurt, so we should be thankful for small mercies.
14 . the small hours ( also the wee small hours British English ) the early morning hours, between about one and four o'clock
in/into the small hours
He finally fell exhausted into bed in the small hours.
The party continued into the wee small hours.
15 . small arms guns that you hold with one or both hands when firing them
16 . something is small potatoes ( also something is small beer British English ) informal used to say that someone or something is not important, especially when compared to other people or things:
Even with £10,000 to invest, you are still small beer for most investment managers.
—small adverb :
He writes so small I can’t read it.
—smallness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ small not large in size, amount, or effect:
a small boat
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small businesses
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a small amount of money
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small changes
▪ little [usually before noun] small – used about objects, places, and living things. Used especially with other adjectives to show how you feel about someone or something:
It’s a very pretty little town.
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The poor little dog has hurt its leg.
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The cake was decorated with little flowers.
▪ low used about prices, rents, levels, or standards:
People on low incomes are finding it difficult to pay fuel bills.
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The crime rate in the area is relatively low.
▪ slight [usually before noun] small and not very important or not very noticeable:
a slight problem
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There’s been a slight improvement in his health.
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a slight increase in sales
▪ minor small and not important or not serious:
minor injuries
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We’ve made some minor changes to the program.
▪ compact small – used about places, buildings etc in which space is used effectively, or about phones, cameras, cars etc which are designed to be much smaller than usual:
The apartments are very compact.
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a compact camera
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It is a pleasant and compact city.
▪ poky especially British English used about a room, house etc that is too small:
a poky bedroom
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a poky flat
▪ cramped used about a space, room, or vehicle that is too small because people do not have enough room to move around:
They all lived together in a cramped apartment.
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The car feels cramped with four adults in it.
■ very small
▪ tiny very small – used about objects, numbers, or amounts:
a tiny island
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Dairy foods provide your body with a tiny amount of vitamin D.
▪ teeny informal very small - used for emphasis:
I'll just have a teeny bit of cream.
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There's just one teeny little problem.
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a teeny little house
▪ minute extremely small and extremely difficult to see or notice:
They found minute traces of poison in his body.
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The differences are minute.
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minute creatures
▪ miniature a miniature camera, watch, railway etc is made in a very small size. A miniature horse, dog etc is bred to be a very small size:
The spy used a miniature camera.
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the fashion for miniature pets
▪ microscopic extremely small and impossible to see without special equipment:
microscopic organisms
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microscopic particles of dust
▪ minuscule /ˈmɪnəskjuːl, ˈmɪnɪskjuːl/ extremely small in a surprising way:
She was wearing a minuscule bikini.
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The threat from terrorism is minuscule compared to other risks in our lives.
▪ itty-bitty/itsy-bitsy [only before noun] American English informal very small:
An itty-bitty little bug crawled across his forehead.
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We stayed at some itty-bitty hotel in a back street.
II. small 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . the small of your back the lower part of your back where it curves
2 . smalls [plural] British English old-fashioned informal underwear