/ smɔːl; NAmE / adjective , adverb , noun
■ adjective
( small·er , small·est )
NOT LARGE
1.
not large in size, number, degree, amount, etc. :
a small house / town / car / man
A much smaller number of students passed than I had expected.
They're having a relatively small wedding.
That dress is too small for you.
'I don't agree,' he said in a small (= quiet) voice.
2.
( abbr. S ) used to describe one size in a range of sizes of clothes, food, products used in the house, etc. :
small, medium, large
This is too big—have you got a small one?
3.
not as big as sth else of the same kind :
the small intestine
YOUNG
4.
young :
They have three small children.
We travelled around a lot when I was small.
As a small boy he had spent most of his time with his grandparents.
NOT IMPORTANT
5.
slight; not important :
I made only a few small changes to the report.
She noticed several small errors in his work.
Everything had been planned down to the smallest detail.
It was no small achievement getting her to agree to the deal.
BUSINESS
6.
[ usually before noun ] not doing business on a very large scale :
a small farmer
The government is planning to give more help to small businesses.
LETTERS
7.
[ usually before noun ] not written or printed as capitals :
Should I write 'god' with a small 'g' or a capital?
She's a socialist with a small 's' (= she has socialist ideas but is not a member of a socialist party) .
NOT MUCH
8.
[ only before noun ] (used with uncountable nouns) little; not much :
The government has small cause for optimism.
They have small hope of succeeding.
► small·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- be grateful / thankful for small mercies
- it's a small world
- look / feel small
—more at big adjective , great adjective , hour , still adjective , sweat verb , way noun , wonder noun
■ adverb ( small·er , small·est )
1.
into small pieces :
Chop the cabbage up small.
2.
in a small size :
You can fit it all in if you write very small.
■ noun
1.
the ~ of the / sb's back [ sing. ] the lower part of the back where it curves in
2.
smalls [ pl. ] ( old-fashioned , BrE , informal ) small items of clothing, especially underwear
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English smæl , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch smal and German schmal .