little
adjective/ˈlɪtl/
/ˈlɪtl/
[usually before noun] The forms littler /ˈlɪtlə(r)/
/ˈlɪtlər/
and littlest /ˈlɪtlɪst/
/ˈlɪtlɪst/
are rare. It is more common to use smaller and smallest.Idioms - not big; small; smaller than others
- a little house
- a little group of tourists
- a little old lady
- We passed through several nice little towns.
- It was a tiny little room.
- ‘Which do you want?’ ‘I'll take the little one.’
- She gave a little laugh.
- (British English) We should manage, with a little bit of luck.
- Here's a little something (= a small present) for your birthday.
Extra Examples- It was a lovely little village before the war.
- The room was full of funny little animals.
- We had a little adventure yesterday.
- You'll feel a little sting.
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- young
- a little boy/girl
- He's just a little kid.
- my little brother/sister (= younger brother/sister)
- The little ones were already in bed.
- cute little baby animals
- I lived in America when I was little.
- He's still very little and doesn't understand yet.
- (of distance or time) short
- A little while later the phone rang.
- Shall we walk a little way?
- used after an adjective to show approval, sympathy or dislike, especially in a patronizing way (= one that suggests that you think you are better than somebody)
- The poor little thing! It's lost its mother.
- What a nasty little man!
- She's a good little worker.
- He'd become quite the little gentleman.
- not important; not serious
- I can't remember every little detail.
- Sometimes it's the little things that count.
- You soon get used to the little difficulties.
Extra Examples- The system has some odd little quirks.
- It's just one of life's little mysteries.
- All those problems because of one little mistake!
Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
Idioms
See little in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee little in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishgreat/tall oaks from little acorns grow
- (saying) something large and successful often begins in a very small wayTopics Successc2
a little bird told me
- (informal) used to say that somebody told you something but you do not want to say who it was
(it’s) no/little/small wonder (that)…
- it is not surprising
- It is little wonder (that) she was so upset.
- (informal) No wonder you're tired—you've been walking for hours.
- No wonder you're still single—you never go out!
Check pronunciation:
little