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Definition of small in English:

small

Pronunciation /smôl/ /smɔl/

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adjective

  • 1Of a size that is less than normal or usual.

    ‘the room was small and quiet’
    • ‘the small hill that sheltered the house’
    little, small-scale, compact, bijou
    short, little, slight, slightly built, small-boned, petite, diminutive, elfin, tiny
    inadequate, meagre, insufficient, ungenerous, not enough
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    1. 1.1Not great in amount, number, strength, or power.
      • ‘a rather small amount of money’
    2. 1.2Not fully grown or developed; young.
      • ‘as a small boy, he spent his days either reading or watching TV’
      young, younger, junior, small, baby, infant, minor
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    3. 1.3(of a voice) lacking strength and confidence.
      • ‘“I'm scared,” she said in a small voice’
    4. 1.4Used as the first letter of a word that has both a general and a specific use to show that in this case the general use is intended.
      • ‘I meant “catholic” with a small c’

  • 2Insignificant; unimportant.

    • ‘these are small points’
    slight, minor, unimportant, trifling, trivial, insignificant, inconsequential, inappreciable, inconsiderable, negligible, nugatory, paltry, infinitesimal
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    1. 2.1attributive Little; hardly any.
      • ‘the captain had been paying small attention’
    2. 2.2(of a business or its owner) operating on a modest scale.
      • ‘a small farmer’
      small-scale, small-time
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    3. 2.3archaic Low or inferior in rank or position; socially undistinguished.
      • ‘at dinner, some of the smaller neighbors were invited’

plural noun

smalls

  • 1British informal Small items of clothing, especially underwear.

  • 2West Indian treated as singular A gratuity or small gift of money.

    gratuity, baksheesh, bonus, little extra, bit extra, present, gift, reward, inducement
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adverb

  • 1Into small pieces.

    • ‘cut the okra up small’
    1. 1.1In a small size.
      • ‘you shouldn't write so small’

Phrases

    look small

    • Appear stupid or insignificant.

      • ‘saying something like that just reflects badly on him and makes him look small’
    the small screen

    • Television as a medium.

      • ‘his own career as an actor began on the small screen’
    in a small way

    • On a small scale.

      • ‘in a small way his life has been improved’
    small potatoes
    informal

    • Something insignificant or unimportant.

      • ‘her business was small potatoes’
    the small of the back

    • The part of a person's back where the spine curves in at the level of the waist.

    feel small

    • Feel humiliated, stupid, or insignificant.

      • ‘they had succeeded in making him feel small’
    small wonder

    • Not very surprising.

      • ‘it's small wonder that her emotions had seesawed’
    small is beautiful

    • Used, especially in environmentalism, to express the belief that something small-scale is better than a large-scale equivalent.

    no small —

    • A good deal of —

      • ‘a matter of no small consequence’
    it's a small world

    • Used to express surprise at meeting an acquaintance or discovering a personal connection in a distant place or an unexpected context.

    small profits and quick returns

    • The policy of a cheap store which relies on low prices and a large turnover.

Origin

Old English smæl, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch smal and German schmal.