- 1not 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.
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- 2(abbreviation 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—do you have a small one?
- 3not as big as something else of the same kind the small intestine young
- 4young They have three small children. We traveled around a lot when I was small. As a small boy he had spent most of his time with his grandparents. not important
- 5slight; 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. Don't worry. It's only a small problem. 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).
- 8[only before noun] (used with uncountable nouns) little; not much The government has small cause for optimism. They have small hope of succeeding.
not large
noun [uncountable]Idioms
to be happy that a situation that is bad is not as bad as it could have been Well, at least you weren't hurt. I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies.
an important person (in a small community)
used to tell someone not to worry about small details or unimportant things
of all sizes or types all creatures great and small
on a large/small scale The new delivery service has taken off in a big way. Many people are investing in a small way in the stock market.
used to express your surprise when you meet someone you know in an unexpected place, or when you are talking to someone and find out that you both know the same person
to look or feel stupid, weak, ashamed, etc. There's no need to make me look small in front of all these people. I felt really small when I realized how much time he'd spent on it.
it is not surprising It's no small wonder (that) she was so upset. (informal) No wonder you're tired, you've been walking for hours.
the period of time very early in the morning, soon after midnight We worked well into the small hours. The fighting began in the early hours of Saturday morning.
the voice of God or your conscience, that tells you to do what is morally rightSee small in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: small