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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | lytel |
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lit‧tle1 S1 W1
1 small in size : a little house a cake decorated with little flowers She was cutting the meat up into little bits.
size
[usually before noun]a little housea cake decorated with little flowersShe was cutting the meat up into little bits. a little something informal (=a small present, or a small amount of food) I'd like to buy him a little something to thank him.
➔ see usage note small1I'd like to buy him a little something to thank him.2 used between an adjective and a noun to emphasize that you like or dislike something or someone, although they are not important, impressive etc : a useful little gadget a boring little man
something you like or dislike
[only before noun]a useful little gadgeta boring little man3
a little bit
a) a small amount of something Let me tell you a little bit about myself.
a little bit of With a little bit of luck we should finish by five o'clock. I'm going to give you a little bit of advice.
With a little bit of luck we should finish by five o'clock.I'm going to give you a little bit of advice.Let me tell you a little bit about myself.b) slightly or to a small degree : I was a little bit disappointed.
I was a little bit disappointed.4 short in time or distance : You could have a little sleep in the car. We walked a little way along this path.
time/distance
[only before noun]You could have a little sleep in the car.We walked a little way along this path.5 little children are young : We didn't have toys like this when I was little.
young
We didn't have toys like this when I was little. somebody's little boy/girl (=someone's son or daughter who is still a child) Mum, I'm 17 - I'm not your little girl any longer.
Mum, I'm 17 - I'm not your little girl any longer. somebody's little brother/sister (=a younger brother or sister who is still a child) Her little brother and sister were fighting again.
Her little brother and sister were fighting again.6 done in a way that is not very noticeable : a little smile Nicolo gave a little nod of his head.
slight
[only before noun]a little smileNicolo gave a little nod of his head.7
unimportant
[only before noun]a) not important : She gets very angry over little things. There isn't time to discuss every little detail.
She gets very angry over little things.There isn't time to discuss every little detail.b) not important - used when you really think that something is important : There's just that little matter of the £5000 you owe me.
There's just that little matter of the £5000 you owe me.8 better, easier etc by a small amount that will have an important effect : Working fewer hours will make life just that little bit easier for me.
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
Working fewer hours will make life just that little bit easier for me.9 someone's wife - often used humorously but now considered offensive by many women
the little woman
old-fashioned➔ a little bird told me
at bird (4)WORD FOCUS: youngWORD FOCUS: young other words meaning young: little/small used to describe young children, especially below the age of 6
teenage used to describe someone who is between 13 and 19
adolescent used to describe someone who is developing into an adult
youthful looking young
a young person: kid informal a young person
teenager someone who is between 13 and 19
youth a man or boy between 15 and 25, especially one who is involved in fighting or crime
adolescent a young person who is developing into an adult
minor a young person who is not yet legally an adult
the time when someone is young: childhood the time when you are a child
youth the time when you are no longer a child but you are still young
adolescence the time when you develop into an adult
➔ See also youngWORD FOCUS: short
WORD FOCUS: short speech/piece of writing: brief, concise, condensed, abridged
person: not very tall, little, tiny, petite
time/event: brief, quick, momentary, fleeting, ephemeral, transient, passing, short-lived
legs/fingers: stumpy, stubby
clothes: skimpy
➔ See also shortWORD CHOICE:
WORD CHOICE: small, littleSmall is a very general word for talking about the size of something • a small village • a small man • He had small brown eyes. • The envelope was too small. • Do you have this shirt in a smaller size?Little is used, especially in spoken English, to show how you feel about someone or something small, for example to show that you like them, dislike them, or feel sorry for them • What lovely little cakes! • her horrid little dog!! You can say 'smaller' or 'smallest', but do not say 'littler' or 'littlest' • Her feet are even smaller (NOT littler/more little) than mine.!! You can use words like 'quite', 'very' and 'too' in front of small, but do not use them with little • a very small car (NOT very little car) ➔ See also small
