little
24 ENTRIES FOUND:
- little (adjective)
- little (adverb)
- little (pronoun)
- little bitty (adjective)
- Little Dipper (noun)
- little finger (noun)
- little guy (noun)
- Little League (noun)
- little man (noun)
- little people (noun)
- little toe (noun)
- little woman (noun)
- Little Rock (proper noun)
- big (adjective)
- bit (noun)
- effect (noun)
- finger (noun)
- fish (noun)
- lost (adjective)
- more (adverb)
- more (pronoun)
- say (verb)
- wonder (noun)
- wrap (verb)
Britannica Dictionary definition of LITTLE
1
a
:
small in size
-
She has little feet.
-
a little island/airplane
-
a little business
-
Our school is little.
-
a tiny little fish
-
This room is littler [=(more commonly) smaller] than that one.
c
:
small in amount
-
I have very little money, so I can't lend you any.
-
I have less money than I did before.
-
I got very little sleep last night.
-
There's little hope of a rescue now.
-
You have little choice but to pay attention.
-
The new version bears little resemblance to the original.
-
These programs have very/precious little chance of succeeding.
-
The help he offered us was too little, too late. [=it was not as much help as we needed and it was offered too late to be helpful]
-
There has been little if any improvement. [=there has been almost no improvement]
-
These trinkets have little or no value.
-
There was no little sadness in his voice. [=there was a lot of sadness in his voice]
d
:
not having many things or people included
-
We're having a little party this weekend.
-
a little group of people
-
a little village
-
her little hometown
2
:
young or younger
-
I loved swimming when I was little.
-
a little boy/girl
-
He's very proud of his little boy/girl. [=of his young son/daughter]
-
How's your little one? [=your young(est) son or daughter]
-
my little brother/sister [=my brother/sister who is younger than I am]
3
always used before a noun
:
not lasting for a long time
-
I have to take a little break.
-
We sat down for a little chat.
-
We talked for a little while.
4
always used before a noun
:
not very important
— sometimes used in an ironic way to describe something important
-
There are a few little problems that still have to be dealt with.
-
He memorized every little detail of the scene.
-
There's just one little problem we haven't discussed: the company is going bankrupt!
-
I need to talk to you about the little matter of the money you owe me.
5
always used before a noun
:
not easily seen, heard, etc.
-
He gave her a little smile.
-
She made a little wave with her hand.
-
She spoke in a quiet little voice.
6
always used before a noun
a
— used to refer to someone or something in an approving or friendly way
-
That's a nice little car you've got there.
-
You poor little thing.
-
Bless your little heart.
b
— used to refer to someone or something in a disapproving or critical way
-
He's a little jerk.
-
It was a mean little joke.
-
She has a dirty little secret.
7
always used before a noun
:
not open to new ideas
-
people with little [=small, narrow] minds
-
the littleness of the room
-
the littleness of their minds
2
little
/ˈlɪtl̟/
adverb
less;
least
2
little
/ˈlɪtl̟/
adverb
less;
least
Britannica Dictionary definition of LITTLE
1
a
:
in a very small amount or degree
-
She works very little and sleeps even less.
-
Please speak as little as possible.
b
:
hardly at all
:
not very much
-
We had little more than we needed.
-
She cared little (about) what he thought.
-
His art is little known in this country.
-
a little-known fact
-
She little knew what fate had in store for her. = Little did she know what fate had in store for her.
2
:
not very often
-
She travels little. [=she rarely travels]
little by little
:
by small steps or amounts
:
gradually
-
Little by little, he got better.
-
The protest gathered strength little by little.
-
I got to know them little by little.
little more than
or little better than
:
not much more or better than (something)
:
only slightly more or better than (something)
-
They ate little more than ice cream and hot dogs all day.
3
little
/ˈlɪtl̟/
pronoun
3
little
/ˈlɪtl̟/
pronoun
Britannica Dictionary definition of LITTLE
:
a small amount or quantity
-
There is little we can do to help.
-
Little is known about her life.
-
They say precious little [=they do not say much] about their job.
-
They understand little of what is going on.
-
His argument did little to change their minds. [=his argument did not change their minds]
a little
1
:
not much but some
-
I don't want much: I want just a little bit/piece.
-
There's a little brown sugar in these cookies.
-
I have a little money, so I may be able to lend you some.
-
They offered him a little something to drink before dinner. [=they offered him something to drink]
-
There was more than a little sadness [=there was much sadness] in his voice.
2
:
not much but somewhat or slightly
-
It bothered me a little.
-
His house is down the street a little further.
-
His house is down the street a little. = It's a little down the street.
-
I'm feeling a little better today.
-
Repairs will begin in a little [=slightly] more than a month.
-
He was not a little annoyed [=he was very annoyed] at the interruption.
-
Her vision of the future was more than a little upsetting. [=was very upsetting]
3
:
for a brief time
-
Please stay here with me a little.
-
We can walk a little and then catch a cab.
4
:
a small amount or quantity
-
There is only a very little at stake here.
-
They don't understand much but they do understand a little.
-
There's still some money in the bank, but only a very little.
-
They understand more than a little of what is going on. [=they understand much of what is going on]
-
Don't use too much of this. A little goes a long way. [=a small amount will be enough]
a little bit
1
:
to some extent
:
somewhat
-
This one is a little bit bigger than that one.
-
It bothered me a little bit.
2
chiefly US
:
a short time
-
We talked for a little bit.
3
:
a small amount of something
-
The buffet had a little bit of everything.
-
We have a little bit of time left.
-
Oh, I'll have just a little bit, thanks.
as little as
— used to suggest that a number or quantity is surprisingly small
-
I could be back in as little as five days.
