Meaning of small in English

small

adjective

/smɑːl/ uk

/smɔːl/

small adjective (LITTLE)

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little in size or amount when compared with what is typical or average:

a small dog/house/car/country

Would you like a large or small cola with your burger?

Ella is the smallest girl in her class.

small town I'd rather live in a small town than a big city.

small number Only a small number of applicants are successful.

too small for That jacket's too small for you.

small for He's small for his age.

pitifully small The number of women in Congress is pitifully (= extremely) small.

in small quantities Liqueurs are usually drunk in small quantities.

Synonyms

diminutive 
dinky  informal
exiguous formal
infinitesimal formal
itsy-bitsy humorous
little  (SMALL)
microscopic informal humorous
midget 
mini-
miniature 
minute
teensy informal
teeny informal
wee  Scottish English or informal
weeny UK informal

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

not great in size, amount, etc.

smallI live in a small town.
littleShe's a good little girl.
a littleI just want a little ice cream.
a little (bit)I was a little bit upset that she ate the last piece of cake.
tinyHis body was covered in tiny red spots.

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More examplesFewer examples

We're having a small cocktail party next Thursday.
The apartments are very small, which is fine for one person.
The company was still very small when I first joined.
We spent our vacations in a small French town.
The house has a large back garden, and a small front garden.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Small

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Small in number and quantity

small adjective (YOUNG)

A small child is a very young child that is older than a baby:

Taking care of small children can be very tiring.

More examplesFewer examples

They have two small children.
A small child stood sullenly by her side.
Having small children really restricts your social life.
With four small children running around, the place is a madhouse.
Is this film appropriate for small children?

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Describing people who are young

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small adjective (LIMITED ACTIVITY)

[ before noun ]

limited in the amount of an activity:

The government should give more help to small businessmen (= people whose businesses are of a limited size).

small eater Chris is a small eater so he won't want much.

in a small way If you can help us in a small way (= to a limited degree) it would be greatly appreciated.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Small in number and quantity

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small adjective (NOT IMPORTANT)

not very important or not likely to cause problems:

She just made a couple of small mistakes on the test.

I have a small problem I would like to discuss with you.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Of little or less importance

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small adjective (ASHAMED)

ashamed or weak:

feel small Talking to her makes me feel small.

look small He's always trying to make me look small in front of my boss.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Of little or less importance

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small adjective (LETTER SIZE)

[ before noun ]

Small letters are not capital letters:

The poet e e cummings sometimes wrote his name with small letters.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Lettering & alphabets

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Related word

smallness

Idioms

grateful/thankful for small mercies
it's a small world
a small fortune
small wonder
with a small "c," "d," etc.

small

adverb

/smɑːl/ uk

/smɔːl/

in a small size:

The instructions are printed so small I can hardly read them.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Small

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small

noun

/smɑːl/ uk

/smɔːl/

small noun (BODY)

the small of your back

the middle of the lower back:

in the small of your back I have a pain in the small of my back.

small noun (UNDERWEAR)

smalls [ plural ] UK old-fashioned informal

underwear, especially when being washed or about to be washed:

Do you have any smalls that need washing?

(Definition of small from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

small | Intermediate English

small

adjective

/smɔl/

small adjective (LESS)

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[ -er/-est only ]

not big; less in size or amount than is average:

a small business

small lunches

He’s small for his age.

Those jackets come in small, medium, and large sizes.

[ -er/-est only ]

Small (abbreviation S) is a size of clothing or other product that is smaller than average:

Those sweaters are available in small, medium, and large (sizes).

small of your back

The small of your back is the back below the waist where it curves in slightly.

small adjective (YOUNG)

[ -er/-est only ]

(of children) very young:

His mother died when he was small.

small adjective (LACKING IMPORTANCE)

[ -er/-est only ]

not having much importance or effect:

a small problem

a small part in a movie

small adjective (LETTER SIZE)

[ not gradable ]

(of a letter of the alphabet) lowercase

Idiom

a small fortune

small

adverb [ -er/-est only ]

/smɔl/

small adverb [-er/-est only] (IN SMALL SIZE)

in small pieces, or in a size or amount that is less than average:

The ingredients are printed so small I can hardly read them.

(Definition of small from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

small | Business English

small

adjective

/smɔːl/ us

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limited in size, amount, activity, etc.:

Loans help small firms fund training.

The company made a small profit last year.

not very important or likely to cause problems:

Verna said the review team would not mire itself in such small details.

In the construction industry, small mistakes can become multi-million dollar problems.

(Definition of small from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of small

small

Take small steps, one day at a time.

From CBS News

They're what you need to stake out your small square of workspace.

From CNN

Twelve days is a long time and 4 points is a small number.

From ABC News

He has small edges in these two expected battlegrounds.

From Washington Post

Like any other changes you apply in your life, start with small steps.

From Huffington Post

I had an idea and it was a small idea when we started.

From ABC News

Here are some examples, taken from my book, of stories that have changed the world--in big ways and small, in good ways and bad.

From Huffington Post

It was a small field then, and it's a small field now.

From NPR

Cut a small cross on the tip of each tamarillo.

From NPR

He stopped working and moved off the batey into a small house with other retired or disabled workers.

From USA TODAY

If you have a smaller spacecraft, you have to spin faster.

From Wired

There are a lot of small businesses in the country focused on trade.

From Fast Company

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of small?