little
little
lit·tle
I
/ˈlıtl̩/ adj , less /ˈlɛs/ or less·er /ˈlɛsɚ/ also lit·tler /ˈlıtl̩ɚ/, least /ˈliːst/ also lit·tlest /ˈlıtl̩əst/
1 a : small in size
She has little feet.
a little island/airplane
a little business
Our school is little.
a tiny little fish
This room is littler [=(more commonly) smaller] than that one.
1 b : not tall : short
a little man
a littler [=(more commonly) smaller, shorter] man
1 c : small in amount
I have very little money, so I can't lend you any.
I have less money than I did before.
I got very little sleep last night.
There's little hope of a rescue now.
You have little choice but to pay attention.
The new version bears little resemblance to the original.
These programs have very/precious little chance of succeeding.
The help he offered us was too little, too late. [=it was not as much help as we needed and it was offered too late to be helpful]
There has been little if any improvement. [=there has been almost no improvement]
These trinkets have little or no value.
There was no little sadness in his voice. [=there was a lot of sadness in his voice]
1 d : not having many things or people included
We're having a little party this weekend.
a little group of people
a little village
her little hometown
2 : young or younger
I loved swimming when I was little.
a little boy/girl
He's very proud of his little boy/girl. [=of his young son/daughter]
How's your little one? [=your young(est) son or daughter]
my little brother/sister [=my brother/sister who is younger than I am]
3 always used before a noun : not lasting for a long time
I have to take a little break.
We sat down for a little chat.
We talked for a little while.
4 always used before a noun : not very important
There are a few little problems that still have to be dealt with.
He memorized every little detail of the scene.
— sometimes used in an ironic way to describe something important
There's just one little problem we haven't discussed: the company is going bankrupt!
I need to talk to you about the little matter of the money you owe me.
5 always used before a noun : not easily seen, heard, etc.
He gave her a little smile.
She made a little wave with her hand.
She spoke in a quiet little voice.
6 always used before a noun
6 a
— used to refer to someone or something in an approving or friendly way
That's a nice little car you've got there.
You poor little thing.
Bless your little heart.
6 b
— used to refer to someone or something in a disapproving or critical way
He's a little jerk.
It was a mean little joke.
She has a dirty little secret.
7 always used before a noun : not open to new ideas
people with little [=small, narrow] minds
lit·tle·ness /ˈlıtl̩nəs/ noun [ noncount ]
the littleness of the room
the littleness of their minds
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II
adv , less, least
1 a : in a very small amount or degree
She works very little and sleeps even less.
Please speak as little as possible.
1 b : hardly at all : not very much
We had little more than we needed.
She cared little (about) what he thought.
His art is little known in this country.
a little-known fact
She little knew what fate had in store for her. = Little did she know what fate had in store for her.
2 : not very often
She travels little. [=she rarely travels]
little by little
: by small steps or amounts : gradually
Little by little, he got better.
The protest gathered strength little by little.
I got to know them little by little.
little more than (
: not much more or better than (something) : only slightly more or better than (something)
They ate little more than ice cream and hot dogs all day.
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III
pronoun
: a small amount or quantity
There is little we can do to help.
Little is known about her life.
They say precious little [=they do not say much] about their job.
They understand little of what is going on.
His argument did little to change their minds. [=his argument did not change their minds]
a little
1 : not much but some
I don't want much: I want just a little bit/piece.
There's a little brown sugar in these cookies.
I have a little money, so I may be able to lend you some.
They offered him a little something to drink before dinner. [=they offered him something to drink]
There was more than a little sadness [=there was much sadness] in his voice.
2 : not much but somewhat or slightly
It bothered me a little.
His house is down the street a little further.
His house is down the street a little. = It's a little down the street.
I'm feeling a little better today.
Repairs will begin in a little [=slightly] more than a month.
He was not a little annoyed [=he was very annoyed] at the interruption.
Her vision of the future was more than a little upsetting. [=was very upsetting]
3 : for a brief time
Please stay here with me a little.
We can walk a little and then catch a cab.
4 : a small amount or quantity
There is only a very little at stake here.
They don't understand much but they do understand a little.
There's still some money in the bank, but only a very little.
They understand more than a little of what is going on. [=they understand much of what is going on]
Don't use too much of this. A little goes a long way. [=a small amount will be enough]
a little bit
1 : to some extent : somewhat
This one is a little bit bigger than that one.
It bothered me a little bit.
2 chiefly US : a short time
We talked for a little bit.
3 : a small amount of something
The buffet had a little bit of everything.
We have a little bit of time left.
Oh, I'll have just a little bit, thanks.
as little as
— used to suggest that a number or quantity is surprisingly small
I could be back in as little as five days.
little wonder — see wonder, 1
