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small - 9 dictionary results
small
[smawl]
adjective, -er, -est, adverb, -er, -est, noun –adjective
| 1. | of limited size; of comparatively restricted dimensions; not big; little: a small box. |
| 2. | slender, thin, or narrow: a small waist. |
| 3. | not large as compared with others of the same kind: a small elephant. |
| 4. | (of letters) lower-case (def. 1). |
| 5. | not great in amount, degree, extent, duration, value, etc.: a small salary. |
| 6. | not great numerically: a small army. |
| 7. | of low numerical value; denoted by a low number. |
| 8. | having but little land, capital, power, influence, etc., or carrying on business or some activity on a limited scale: a small enterprise. |
| 9. | of minor importance, moment, weight, or consequence: a small problem. |
| 10. | humble, modest, or unpretentious: small circumstances. |
| 11. | characterized by or indicative of littleness of mind or character; mean-spirited; petty: a small, miserly man. |
| 12. | of little strength or force: a small effort. |
| 13. | (of sound or the voice) gentle; with little volume. |
| 14. | very young: when I was a small boy. |
| 15. | diluted; weak. |
–adverb
| 16. | in a small manner: They talked big but lived small. |
| 17. | into small pieces: Slice the cake small. |
| 18. | in low tones; softly. |
–noun
—Idiom| 19. | something that is small: Do you prefer the small or the large? |
| 20. | a small or narrow part, as of the back. |
| 21. | those who are small: Democracy benefits the great and the small. |
| 22. | smalls, small goods or products. |
| 23. | smalls, British.
|
| 24. | smalls, British Informal. the responsions at Oxford University. |
| 25. | smalls, Mining. coal, ore, gangue, etc., in fine particles. |
| 26. | feel small, to be ashamed or mortified: Her unselfishness made me feel small. |
Origin:
bef. 900; ME smale (adj., n., and adv.), OE smæl; c. D smal, G schmal
bef. 900; ME smale (adj., n., and adv.), OE smæl; c. D smal, G schmal

Related forms:
smallness, noun
Synonyms:
1. tiny. See little. 2. slight. 1, 3, 5. Smaller, less indicate a diminution, or not so large a size or quantity in some respect. Smaller, as applied to concrete objects, is used with reference to size: smaller apples. Less is used of material in bulk, with reference to amount, and in cases where attributes such as value and degree are in question: A nickel is less than a dime (in value). A sergeant is less than a lieutenant (in rank). As an abstraction, amount may be either smaller or less, though smaller is usually used when the idea of size is suggested: a smaller opportunity. Less is used when the idea of quantity is present: less courage. 9. trifling, petty, unimportant, minor, secondary, nugatory, inconsequential, paltry, insignificant. 11. small-minded, narrow-minded, mean, selfish, narrow. 12. feeble.
1. tiny. See little. 2. slight. 1, 3, 5. Smaller, less indicate a diminution, or not so large a size or quantity in some respect. Smaller, as applied to concrete objects, is used with reference to size: smaller apples. Less is used of material in bulk, with reference to amount, and in cases where attributes such as value and degree are in question: A nickel is less than a dime (in value). A sergeant is less than a lieutenant (in rank). As an abstraction, amount may be either smaller or less, though smaller is usually used when the idea of size is suggested: a smaller opportunity. Less is used when the idea of quantity is present: less courage. 9. trifling, petty, unimportant, minor, secondary, nugatory, inconsequential, paltry, insignificant. 11. small-minded, narrow-minded, mean, selfish, narrow. 12. feeble.
Antonyms:
1. large, big.
1. large, big.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To small
small (smôl) adj. small·er, small·est
[Middle English smal, from Old English smæl.] small'ish adj., small'ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean being notably below the average in size or magnitude: a small house; diminutive in stature; little hands; a miniature camera; a minuscule amount of rain; minute errors; a petite figure; tiny feet; a wee puppy. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Small
Small\ (sm[add]l), a. [Compar. Smaller; superl. Smallest.] [OE. small, AS. sm[ae]l; akin to D. smal narrow, OS. & OHG. smal small, G. schmal narrow, Dan. & Sw. smal, Goth. smals small, Icel. smali smal cattle, sheep, or goats; cf. Gr. mh^lon a sheep or goat.]1. Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river. To compare Great things with small. --Milton. 2. Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant; as, a small fault; a small business. 3. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; -- sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean. A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man. --Carlyle. 4. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space. --Shak. 5. Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud. "A still, small voice." --1 Kings xix. 12. Great and small,of all ranks or degrees; -- used especially of persons. "His quests, great and small." --Chaucer. Small arms, muskets, rifles, pistols, etc., in distinction from cannon. Small beer. See under Beer. Small coal. (a) Little coals of wood formerly used to light fires. --Gay. (b) Coal about the size of a hazelnut, separated from the coarser parts by screening. Small craft (Naut.), a vessel, or vessels in general, of a small size. Small fruits. See under Fruit. Small hand, a certain size of paper. See under Paper. Small hours. See under Hour. Small letter. (Print.), a lower-case letter. See Lower-case, and Capital letter, under Capital, a. Small piece, a Scotch coin worth about 21/4d. sterling, or about 41/2cents. Small register. See the Note under 1st Register, 7. Small stuff (Naut.), spun yarn, marline, and the smallest kinds of rope. --R. H. Dana, Jr. Small talk, light or trifling conversation; chitchat. Small wares (Com.), various small textile articles, as tapes, braid, tringe, and the like. --M`Culloch.Small
Small\, adv. 1. In or to small extent, quantity, or degree; little; slightly. [Obs.] "I wept but small." --Chaucer. "It small avails my mood." --Shak. 2. Not loudly; faintly; timidly. [Obs. or Humorous] You may speak as small as you will. --Shak.Small
Small\, v. t. To make little or less. [Obs.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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small
O.E. smæl "slender, narrow, small," from P.Gmc. *smalaz (cf. O.S., Dan., Swed., M.Du., Du., O.H.G. smal, O.Fris. smel, Ger. schmal "narrow," Goth. smalista "smallest," O.N. smali "small cattle, sheep"), perhaps from a PIE base *(s)melo- "smaller animal" (cf. Gk. melon, O.Ir. mil "a small animal;" O.C.S. malu "bad"). Original sense of "narrow" now almost obsolete, except in ref. to waistline and intestines.
"My sister ... is as white as a lilly, and as small as a wand." [Shakespeare, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 1591]Sense of "not large, of little size" developed in O.E. With many extended senses, e.g. small fry, first recorded 1697 of little fish, 1885 of insignificant people. Meaning "of low alcoholic content" (cf. small beer, 1568) is attested from c.1440. Small potatoes first attested 1940; small change "something of little value" is from 1902; small talk "chit-chat" (1751) first recorded in Chesterfield's "Letters." Small world as a comment upon an unexpected meeting of acquaintances is recorded from 1895. Small-town (adj.) "unsophisticated, provincial" is recorded from 1824. Small arms, indicating those capable of being carried in the hand (contrasted to ordnance) is recorded from 1710.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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SMALL
1. Functional, lazy, untyped.
["SMALL - A Small Interactive Functional System", L. Augustsson, TR 28, U Goteborg and Chalmers U, 1986].
2. A toy language used to illustrate denotational semantics.
["The Denotational Description of Programming Languages", M.J.C. Gordon, Springer 1979].
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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small
In addition to the idioms beginning with small, also see big fish in a small pond; (small) cog in the wheel; give thanks for small blessings; it's a small world; little (small) frog in a big pond; make a (small) fortune; no (small) wonder; still small voice.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.