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What is "small"

Crossword clues for small

small
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
small
I.adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a big/large/wide/small mouth
▪ He had a big nose and a big mouth.
▪ Billy’s wide mouth stretched into a grin.
a big/small celebration
▪ We’re having a small celebration for Dad’s birthday.
a big/small discount
▪ If you spend over £50, you get a big discount.
a big/small party
▪ I don’t really like going to big parties.
a large/small family
▪ She came from a large family of seven children.
a little/small sigh
▪ Quinn let out a little sigh and closed the book.
a little/small/tiny creature
▪ tiny creatures such as mice
a low/small dose
▪ Treatment should be started with a small dose.
a low/small income
▪ Rent takes a large chunk of their small income.
a minor/small concession
▪ Washington made a few minor concessions in the climate talks.
a minor/small miracle (=something lucky but not very important)
▪ I’d managed to produce a good meal in half an hour, which seemed like a minor miracle.
a minor/small role
▪ He has had small roles in several other films.
a quiet/small wedding (=with not many guests)
▪ We had a quiet wedding, with just a few close friends and relatives.
a short/little/small laugh
▪ He let out a nervous little laugh.
a slight/small/minor difference
▪ There’s only a slight difference between the male and the female bird.
a small appetite
▪ My aunt only had a small appetite.
a small business (=that employs only a few people)
▪ Many small businesses have been badly hit by the recession.
a small charge
▪ For a small charge guests can use the hotel sauna.
a small child (=a young one)
▪ My family lived in France when I was a small child.
a small company
▪ His father is the director of a small company.
a small donation
▪ Even a small donation can make a big difference to one child's life.
a small economy
▪ Small economies like Kenya might struggle to survive in a global recession.
a small exhibition
▪ The library held a small exhibition showcasing the work of local artists.
a small firm
▪ He trained with a small firm in Cardiff.
a small fortune (=a very large amount of money)
▪ He made a small fortune in the London property boom.
a small gift
▪ Here’s a small gift to show our appreciation for all your hard work.
a small majority
▪ Their small majority made them worried about winning the next election.
a small margin
▪ Visitors from other parts of Scotland exceeded foreign visitors by only a small margin.
a small minority
▪ She is one of a small minority of women working in engineering.
a small number
▪ The class had only a small number of students.
a small part
▪ Toby had a small part in the film.
a small portion
▪ A small portion of western Croatia remained under Habsburg control.
a small quantity
▪ Remove a small quantity of butter from the fridge.
a small scar
▪ She could see the small scar on his right cheek.
a small slice
▪ She politely accepted a small slice of pie.
a small step
▪ This is a small step in the right direction.
a small sum
▪ Each year the inhabitants had to pay a small sum for the use of the pasture.
a small voice (=quiet and not strong or confident)
▪ She answered in a small voice, ‘I think I was afraid.’
a small/large community
▪ 75% of the population live in small communities of fewer than 450 people.
a small/large etc patch
▪ Some of the hills still had small patches of snow.
a small/light breakfast
▪ She ate a light breakfast of toast and coffee.
a small/limited selection
▪ We also have a small selection of offices for daily hire.
a small/limited supply
▪ There is a limited supply of land for building.
a small/little cry
▪ The child gave a small cry and burst into tears.
a small/little favour
▪ Can you do me a small favour?
a small/little movement
▪ She made a restless little movement.
a small/low/limited budget
▪ It was a project with a low budget.
a small/minor error
▪ The letter contained some minor spelling errors.
a small/minor incident
▪ An apparently minor incident sparked off rioting.
a small/modest profit
▪ The business managed to produce a small profit last year.
a small/narrow circle
▪ Ken was the centre of a small circle of artists and writers.
a small/slight shift
▪ There has been only a slight shift in income distribution.
a small/slight/slim chance
▪ He only has a very small chance of being elected.
▪ There’s a slight chance of some sunshine in the west.
a small/small-scale enterprise
▪ The tax will affect owners of small-scale enterprises consisting of up to ten people.
a small/tiny etc amount
▪ a tiny amount of dirt
a small/trivial matter (=a matter that is not important)
▪ Walking out over such a small matter may seem ridiculous.
be bigger/smaller/worse etc than you had imagined
▪ The job interview proved to be much worse than I had imagined it would be.
big/small
▪ He had small neat feet.
cold/small comfort (=not much comfort)
▪ The tax changes will provide cold comfort to people living on a pension.
comparatively small
▪ a comparatively small number of people
have neat/small etc handwriting
▪ Yu Yin has tiny handwriting.
how much older/smaller etc
▪ She kept weighing herself to see how much heavier she was getting.
in the small hours of the morning (=very early, before dawn)
▪ I was woken up in the small hours of the morning by a strange sound.
limited/small
▪ He had just started learning English and his vocabulary was fairly limited.
little/small/minor
▪ Old cars often develop minor engine problems.
little/small/tiny
▪ He lived all his life in a small cottage by the river.
little/small/young girl
▪ I’ve known Mollie ever since I was a little girl.
lose by a large/small etc margin
▪ He lost by only a narrow margin.
making small talk
▪ We stood around making small talk.
on a small scale
▪ They started by producing and selling on a small scale.
read/check the small print
▪ Always read the small print before you sign anything.
slight/small
▪ Doctors have reported a slight increase in the number of deaths caused by the disease.
▪ The temperature increase was quite small.
slight/small/minor
▪ The proposed changes were relatively minor.
small ad
small businessmen (=owning businesses that employ only a few people)
▪ shopkeepers and other small businessmen
small claims court
small fry
▪ There’s no point in arresting the small fry.
small intestine
small office/home office
small print
▪ Always read the small print before you sign anything.
small savers (=people who save small amounts of money)
▪ Mutual funds have been attractive to small savers .
small screen
▪ a film made for the small screen
small talk
▪ We stood around making small talk.
small
▪ She had high cheekbones and a small nose.
small
▪ The flat was too small for the three of them.
small
▪ His small cold eyes seemed full of menace.
small
▪ The engine is small, so it's quite economical to run.
small
▪ One way of losing weight is to eat smaller portions.
small
▪ The drugs have a relatively small effect on a lot of patients.
small
▪ The town experiences dozens of small earthquakes every year.
small
▪ The bird’s natural diet mainly consists of small insects.
small
▪ There was a small queue of people waiting to see the doctor.
small
▪ There was only a small space between the car and the wall.
small
▪ New technologies have only had a small impact on the overall level of employment.
small/big
▪ I grew up in a small town in Iowa.
▪ The nearest big town is 20 miles away.
small/little
▪ It’s a small island, barely twenty miles long.
small/little/tiny
▪ They come from a small village in Laos.
small/local trader
▪ a small trader who sells hats in Oxford
small/low
▪ Only a small percentage of people suffer from the allergy.
small/low
▪ Some companies will sell the items for you, for a small fee.
small/modest/considerable/large etc outlay
▪ For a relatively small outlay, you can start a home hairdressing business.
small/slight
▪ It’s only a small cut.
small/tiny
▪ Her handwriting was so tiny I couldn’t read it without my glasses.
sth is a small price to pay (=something is worth suffering in order to achieve something more important)
▪ Changing his job would be a small price to pay to keep his marriage intact.
the small size of sth
▪ One problem was the very small size of the department.
to a small extent (=a small amount)
▪ The plan succeeded to a small extent.
win by a large/small etc margin
▪ The party won by a huge margin.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
much
▪ Everything looks so much smaller from up here looking down than it does down below looking up.
▪ Pure fusion bombs might be much smaller than existing bombs.
▪ However, M33 is a much smaller and much looser system.
▪ Chained to its banister are a ten-speed bicycle and another, much smaller, with training wheels.
▪ Within this area, several males - smaller and less gaudy than the females - establish much smaller territories.
▪ There are tens of thousands of successful entrepreneurs who have built much smaller enterprises.
▪ The Clinton team fears the actual saving may be much smaller.
▪ The apatite crystals are also much smaller being 200-300 Å long and 40-70 Å wide.
relatively
▪ The objective was to use a relatively small fission device to trigger-off a thermonuclear reaction of arbitrarily large yield.
▪ They insist there is no pot of gold, but relatively small sums at best.
▪ The buildings are now in increasingly better condition and most work is relatively small order.
▪ Obviously the amount of money at issue is relatively small for the state government.
▪ This number of letters is approximately 1,700 words and is a relatively small sample set.
▪ This region played a relatively small part in the struggles which led up to the Sandinista revolution.
▪ A relatively small withdrawal of oil from the world market in October 1973 was sufficient to precipitate an acute crisis.
so
▪ But the cylinders were so small they could not hold more than a minute of material.
▪ Air molecules are so small that each weighs just five times ten to the minus twenty-six kilograms.
▪ It held what he could almost call a loving look, and he didn't look so small and wizened.
▪ Response was so small, however, that she changed her plan.
▪ Well, really not much more than a single mew, it's so small.
▪ But ethanol molecules, because they are so small and stable, are immune to acidic destruction.
▪ Also, the boat was so small that when I rowed, the waves came over the sides of the boat.
too
▪ The lectern at the Guildhall is a classic example of one that looks beautiful but is too small and fragile to use.
▪ Now, picture these as separate gemstones, each one is distinct, but much, much too small to see.
▪ When she came back, Alice had changed into a cotton skirt and a white blouse that was too small for her.
▪ I have lost this battle because my force was too small....
▪ This argument is that the inverse relationship is a result of desperate families fighting for survival from too small pieces of land.
▪ The constantly falling snow itself is too dry, and its crystals are thus too small, to stick to their backs.
▪ His T-shirt was too small for him and came out of the waist of his pants.
▪ It is shiny and much too small for her.
very
▪ Marcus sat carefully on the bunk, feeling that the walls were a long way away and that he was very small.
▪ Those corkscrews that are tightly wound correspond to large momenta, and those that wind hardly at all give very small momenta.
▪ It was very small, just a little bigger than my hand.
▪ A high percentage of telephone operators are black, for example, but only a very small proportion of dental hygienists are.
▪ The forces were found to be very small and use very little of the embryo's energy.
▪ I expected some one very small or very tall.
▪ Remarkably, the distances are very small.
▪ Moreover, the data suggest that Baumol-type models can account for only a very small proportion of total transactions balances.
■ NOUN
amount
▪ In small amounts it can act as a stimulant, in larger doses causing hyperactivity, headaches and insomnia.
▪ In the process, a small amount of blood is taken from the donor and typed.
▪ Better to feed small amounts at regular intervals.
▪ Substantially smaller amounts of shielding will undoubtedly admit much larger fluxes of harmful radiation.
▪ Mr. Banks Given the nature of the tasks facing industry, that seems a rather small amount of money.
▪ This covers a wide range of worship songs, but only a small amount of hymnody.
▪ Make rewards contingent upon quite small amounts of progress.
▪ Some tropical woods such as teak and green-heart contain small amounts of toxic chemicals and also of silica.
area
▪ Others may come or go, but the entire life-cycle of many is lived within the confines of quite small areas.
▪ Damage to a small area occasionally leaves a person normal except for a very specific deficit.
▪ They make up in quality for their comparatively small area.
▪ Regularly, where intensive cultivation succeeds, civilized people in the Far East occupy only small areas.
▪ This appears more often these days generally used to fill in small areas on the ubiquitous picture sweaters.
▪ A comparatively small area is included in this zone.
▪ It is not always easy to get up to date information on which to set the quotas, especially in a small area sample.
▪ There is a smaller area of wall, broken by more extensive abutment.
business
▪ One participant had conducted some research into small businesses in West Belfast for a research report.
▪ The people believed, and many of them were putting money into improving their homes, modernizing their small businesses.
▪ These funds are designed to put capital into small businesses in different parts of the country.
▪ Classes teach the basics of small business ownership such as accounting and customer service.
▪ Historically, he said, entrepreneurship was the Cinderella of business studies, wrongly confused with the management of small businesses.
▪ How businesses, especially small businesses, were supposed to survive interest rates at that level remains a mystery to me.
▪ Primarily aimed at start-ups the courses will also be useful to those running an existing small business and keen to develop further.
▪ The new series 6000i Model 640 supports up to 32 users and is suitable for small businesses, workgroups and development environments.
change
▪ In the beginning they demanded small change, but now they ask me for £2 or £3 every time they see me.
▪ Since many exist on the margins of their environments, small changes may create big problems for them.
▪ If evolution proceeds by a series of small changes, it is hard to see how it could be otherwise.
▪ Very small changes make the biggest difference.
▪ The other eight regions recorded significantly smaller changes - some good, some bad.
▪ But it does permit small changes to take place and accumulate from one generation to the next.
▪ The object was to study the effect of small changes in the exposure, illumination etc.
▪ Even back then forty-five cents was small change.
child
▪ There is, therefore a significant risk of serious injury especially to small children.
▪ I really expected to see the black pajamas, conical hats, and the small children scatter and expose the gunner.
▪ Like John, Alan Wardle was knocked down as a small child.
▪ Instead of limiting the program to small children who attended Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church, he invited young people ages 10-18.
▪ In her left hand she held the hand of a small child dressed in a raincoat at least eight sizes too big.
▪ Women were carrying small children in their arms.
▪ But only a small child tugs at the heart-strings.
▪ He proceeded to murder two of the small children.
company
▪ For smaller companies, where financial controls are not highly developed, factoring may prove the answer.
▪ Analysts and dealers attributed the gains in smaller companies to speculation about mergers and acquisitions, that are unlikely to happen.
▪ More oil will be shipped by small companies.
▪ A partnership with Mitsubishi, which has a presence in many rawmaterial markets, could help smaller companies, he said.
▪ The small company of members looked completely dwarfed in the vast, cavernous space of the almost empty concert hall.
▪ Myriad smaller companies also track and evaluate Web sites.
▪ As a small company of 15 boys we find it hard to make ends meet.
▪ But if 1996 belongs to smaller companies or foreign stocks, your portfolio could be left in the dust.
firm
▪ Private ownership would grow gradually, with small firms multiplying even as big ones stayed in state hands.
▪ In smaller firms, where they may work alongside the people they supervise, the office may be crowded and noisy.
▪ He trained with a small firm in Cardiff.
▪ The I-way makes this practice more affordable and easily available to a number of small firms.
▪ For workers in small firms employment guarantees are very rare, working hours are longer and safety records poor.
▪ Specialised assignments were often given to smaller firms offering particular expertise in that sector, with generally good results.
▪ Local authorities are urged to provide guidance about suitable locations for small firms, and generally not to interfere with market forces.
▪ This is the question of self-regulation, which is of concern to the Institute's practising members, particularly smaller firms.
group
▪ The anti-globalisation movement is in danger of being discredited because of the antics of a small group.
▪ Virtually all instruction is in small groups or one on one.
▪ The only proof provided for such inflammatory allegations is that anarchists are organising into small groups, and these groups are autonomous.
▪ A smaller group will probably still be early preoperational, and another similar group will be late concrete operational.
▪ Fortunately a small group of folk banded together determined to save the bird and the rescue operation began.
▪ During this period, hunters lives in small groups of between twenty and sixty individuals.
▪ In small groups they can decide in advance on the questions they want to ask.
▪ A small group is easier for most group leaders to work with.
minority
▪ Only a small minority broke through the restrictive moulds of clan traditions.
▪ He seldom nods or smiles at the small minority of white and black independents.
▪ At later stages a few problems did develop, but they involved only a small minority of the cases.
▪ I think that only a small minority of quantum physicists would affirm such a view.
▪ Hunter, far more than Allon, was in a very small minority.
▪ A small minority drop showers of recoverable meteorites on the ground, but most are utterly disrupted in their final explosion.
▪ In 1978 his views were shared by a small minority in the party.
▪ A small minority of young people does drink excessively - that has probably always been true.
number
▪ ScotRail and InterCity say the services they are withdrawing or altering will affect a small number of commuters.
▪ The response quite naturally is to form fewer families and to have smaller numbers of children.
▪ Until the 1940s, the turkey was reared in relatively small numbers - up to 500 to a flock.
▪ Interest aggregation is the transformation of all these political needs and wants into a smaller number of coherent alternatives. 6.
▪ Throughout the war, others took their place but in much smaller numbers.
▪ Considering the relatively small number of men actually at risk, the casualty rates were very high.
▪ A small number of people think they have been infected through sucking.
▪ Moreover, a small number of diseases command a large proportion of the limited resources.
part
▪ Meanwhile we have the jubilant pictures of Hillary Clinton celebrating her husband's triumph in which she has played no small part.
▪ For the patterned butterflies I used a small part of the leaf design.
▪ This region played a relatively small part in the struggles which led up to the Sandinista revolution.
▪ How different is this deep breathing from the shallow, uncontrolled breathing which uses only a very small part of the lungs.
▪ As a result they offered him small parts in the next two films in which Ken would star.
▪ Talent plays but a small part in the proceedings.
▪ After her spell in the Palace Girls she had graduated to playing small parts in the Blackpool shows.
percentage
▪ A much smaller percentage of pupils now leaves school without any qualifications.
▪ Gold claimed that that was not true, that they were only talking about a very small percentage of women.
▪ In fact, the diamonds we see in jewellers' windows are typical of only a small percentage of natural diamonds.
▪ Other categories of business had smaller percentages.
▪ That is a very small percentage of the total number whose lives are in danger.
▪ The Austin event drew a smaller percentage of people over the age of 70 than they had hoped.
▪ But we think only a small percentage of abused kids tell, as abusers are so good at silencing them.
▪ Many agencies agreed to hire only a small percentage of welfare workers.
piece
▪ You then need a small piece of wood to do the scribing.
▪ He picked the can off the flame, using a small piece of cardboard to protect his fingers from the hot lid.
▪ And looking tense and grim-faced, he walked slowly to the pulpit and read a statement from a small piece of paper.
▪ The victim still had a small piece of metal from the van in his leg, he added.
▪ Chop mango cubes into smaller pieces.
▪ He screwed up the note into small pieces and looked around for others.
▪ Eventually the straw-stuffed ox was weathered into small pieces.
proportion
▪ While the vast majority of offenders are men, a small proportion are women.
▪ Such a tax takes a smaller and smaller proportion of income as income increases.
▪ This represents only a small proportion of the structure.
▪ Even so, as Table 4.1 shows, wholesale funding remains a comparatively small proportion of total liabilities.
▪ Their short-term assets form a much smaller proportion of the total.
▪ Although only a small proportion receive free food, about half of all farm workers in Britain live in tied accommodation.
▪ From school, a small proportion proceed to institutions of further and higher education.
▪ Refugees granted asylum or allowed to stay made up a small proportion-just over 10,000 in 1999.
quantity
▪ We can deliver them direct to site in bulk, small quantities, or in house sets.
▪ He explained that sand bags cost $ 3 each when filled and purchased in small quantities.
▪ During the afternoon he'd made a small quantity of Recipe 179 - enough to fill three biscuit tins.
▪ Unfortunately they are seldom present in small quantities for long, as they soon cover the bottom from their rapid growth.
▪ Except in small quantities or special cases, money now has to be raised through debt.
▪ They are best enjoyed in small quantities.
▪ The light type uses only small quantities of raw materials; e.g. for television, or for biscuits.
▪ A small quantity went to Argonne and Battelle for experimental purposes.
scale
▪ Teacher education is a smaller scale enterprise than it was at the time of the events I have recorded.
▪ But what works on a small scale can be a disaster on a large scale.
▪ Biofuels and wind power are regarded as the most promising technologies, along with small scale hydro and tidal power.
▪ We exploited the economics of small scale and laid to rest the diseconomies of large scale.
▪ Works, which had to be small scale, were submitted by both established and unknown artists.
▪ Behaviors that are safe on a small scale can become catastrophic on larger ones.
▪ Is what is small scale and open to observation by only one teacher capable of demonstrating a broader relevance?
town
▪ Such structures are generally therefore an integral part of the domestic and workshop accommodation available in all the small towns.
▪ This is a small town, son.
▪ She was the only physician in a small town and much loved by the people there.
▪ The prominence of temples in the small towns is of some interest.
▪ The impact of drought-damaged crops and low beef prices could mean a severe impact in many small towns.
▪ What was Cambridge, after all, but a small town which had got above itself?
▪ Brendan Murphy plays Salvatore Crosetti, a young man from a small town near Naples.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)
a big fish in a little/small pond
cold/small comfort
▪ The business won't go bankrupt, but that's cold comfort to the 15 people who lost their jobs.
▪ But this opposition misleads; charisma is cold comfort without expert management.
▪ Erratic hot winds kept the air thick with dust, and the fan gave small comfort to the feverish, aching children.
▪ Now, even these small comforts must be questioned.
▪ Perhaps it was ready? Small comfort, through ten guilt-ridden days.
▪ Precedent, however, suggests that his comments will offer only cold comfort to Mr Jiang and Mr Li.
▪ Rosy statistics on aggregate food production offer small comfort to nations that can not afford a seat at the banquet.
▪ The survival of slimmed-down companies is small comfort for people made redundant.
▪ They could explore the area, learn its resources and contrive small comforts in their rooms.
don't sweat the small stuff
in a big/small way
▪ Way back, something went bad in a big way.
▪ Actors are getting paid more than their worth all over Hollywood right now, and in a big way.
▪ But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
▪ But I think we blew it in a big way.
▪ Colorado has taken to the sport in a big way.
▪ His ambulance service has taken off in a big way.
▪ I began to prepare in a small way to enjoy the Christmas in Bedford.
▪ This is something he has carried in a big way into his later professional life.
on the small/high/heavy etc side
▪ Also on the small side is the 14-gallon fuel tank.
▪ Both versions have the same size fuel tank, which, at 14. 5 gallons, is on the small side.
▪ Burned by that experience, chip forecasters prepared their 1996 forecasts on the high side.
▪ For political reasons, these estimates are on the high side.
▪ The bedrooms, though on the small side, have recently been completed refurbished in sophisticated style.
▪ The clams and mussels-four of each-are on the small side, but flavorful.
▪ The little one's a bit on the small side.
▪ The only complaint we had with the shoe was the weight - it's on the heavy side.
small change
▪ Beggars were asking for small change.
▪ The program costs $20 million a year, small change in Washington.
▪ All this is very small change but very typical of our brother.
▪ Even back then forty-five cents was small change.
▪ For each member of the group, a small change of habit was the first step to an identity of its own.
▪ However, it does result in small changes in the tabulated values of the molar entropies of gases.
▪ Investors holding ninety-day Treasury bills experience very small changes in the value of those bills as interest rates fluctuate.
▪ Such small changes are invaluable in giving themes renewed vitality, while at the same time preserving unity.
▪ Try some of these steps: Make some small changes first.
▪ Very small changes make the biggest difference.
the little/small matter of sth
▪ But first there's the small matter of a semi-final clash that has split the household down the middle.
▪ His manifesto, of course, concerns the small matter of his life.
▪ On a good day, the building would be almost entirely rented-apart from the small matter of signing the contract.
▪ Then there was the small matter of my physical fitness.
▪ There's also the little matter of thirty-three shroud lines loops!
▪ There remains, as ever, the little matter of finance.
▪ This operation was tricky because there was the little matter of taking off my trousers and putting on my shorts.
▪ What about the small matter of the rest of the season?
the small screen
▪ I had seen the movie before, but it didn't look as good on the small screen.
▪ It's one of the best shows ever seen on the small screen.
▪ The story of Hearst's life made it to the small screen last spring.
the small/fine print
▪ But trading standards officers and the Consumers' Association are warning customers to scrutinise the small print.
▪ He starts to read one, clearly hoping to find the answer in the small print.
▪ His agent was sorting out the fine print.
▪ It is the broker's job to make sure the haulier fully understands the small print of the exemption and other clauses.
▪ It ought to be the fine print, not the screaming headline.
▪ New formulae claim anything from 15 to 24 hours' efficacy, so check the small print on the pack!
▪ You submit your offer on Form 656, but read the fine print on the back.
vanishingly small/improbable
▪ But even if this conclusion is not justified, we can say that infallible beliefs must have vanishingly small content.
▪ For just the same reason, it is vanishingly improbable that exactly the same evolutionary pathway should ever be travelled twice.
▪ If the object is very distant, linear magnification becomes vanishingly small.
▪ It would need a gigantic and vanishingly improbable leap across genetic hyperspace.
▪ On average, the chances of weediness emerging by accident are vanishingly small.
▪ Statistically, however, the chance of avoiding synonyms altogether is vanishingly small.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "It still hurts," he said in a small voice.
▪ Smaller cars use less gas.
▪ a small increase in food prices
▪ a small man in a dark suit
▪ A small number of protesters stood near the entrance to the plant.
▪ Be aware that women and small children, as well as men, can be pickpockets.
▪ Bobby's small for his age, but he's perfectly healthy.
▪ Government statistics showed a small drop in the annual rate of inflation.
▪ His office was a small room at the top of the building.
▪ How come I always seem to go out with small men?
▪ I want to make a few small changes to the design.
▪ Mrs Newman was a small and slightly plump, with a round face.
▪ My sister's quite a bit smaller and slimmer than me.
▪ Only a small number of people eventually turned up.
▪ People are buying smaller cars because they are cheaper to run.
▪ Private schools can offer smaller classes and more individual attention.
▪ Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation.
▪ She soon discovered that looking after small children was very tiring.
▪ The kids were too small to really understand.
▪ The level of radiation in the atmosphere is really very small.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ But smaller deficits brought on either by spending cuts or higher taxes reduce purchasing power.
▪ He took it into a small booth under the stairs which evidently served him as darkroom.
▪ Highly suitable for a small children's collection with modest funds for annual updating of stock. 8.
▪ I've got a small cassette.
▪ It is important to use small bags, since a large number of acorns together will generate heat.
▪ Leonora had small, well-shaped hands and clasped his warmly.
▪ On the mainland, the small beaches were faintly visible, the surf like a tiny ruffle of white lace.
▪ Wonford House was a smaller, more modern, hospital.
II.noun
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)
a big fish in a little/small pond
cold/small comfort
▪ The business won't go bankrupt, but that's cold comfort to the 15 people who lost their jobs.
▪ But this opposition misleads; charisma is cold comfort without expert management.
▪ Erratic hot winds kept the air thick with dust, and the fan gave small comfort to the feverish, aching children.
▪ Now, even these small comforts must be questioned.
▪ Perhaps it was ready? Small comfort, through ten guilt-ridden days.
▪ Precedent, however, suggests that his comments will offer only cold comfort to Mr Jiang and Mr Li.
▪ Rosy statistics on aggregate food production offer small comfort to nations that can not afford a seat at the banquet.
▪ The survival of slimmed-down companies is small comfort for people made redundant.
▪ They could explore the area, learn its resources and contrive small comforts in their rooms.
don't sweat the small stuff
in a big/small way
▪ Way back, something went bad in a big way.
▪ Actors are getting paid more than their worth all over Hollywood right now, and in a big way.
▪ But his baseball career has been resurrected in a big way this season.
▪ But I think we blew it in a big way.
▪ Colorado has taken to the sport in a big way.
▪ His ambulance service has taken off in a big way.
▪ I began to prepare in a small way to enjoy the Christmas in Bedford.
▪ This is something he has carried in a big way into his later professional life.
on the small/high/heavy etc side
▪ Also on the small side is the 14-gallon fuel tank.
▪ Both versions have the same size fuel tank, which, at 14. 5 gallons, is on the small side.
▪ Burned by that experience, chip forecasters prepared their 1996 forecasts on the high side.
▪ For political reasons, these estimates are on the high side.
▪ The bedrooms, though on the small side, have recently been completed refurbished in sophisticated style.
▪ The clams and mussels-four of each-are on the small side, but flavorful.
▪ The little one's a bit on the small side.
▪ The only complaint we had with the shoe was the weight - it's on the heavy side.
small change
▪ Beggars were asking for small change.
▪ The program costs $20 million a year, small change in Washington.
▪ All this is very small change but very typical of our brother.
▪ Even back then forty-five cents was small change.
▪ For each member of the group, a small change of habit was the first step to an identity of its own.
▪ However, it does result in small changes in the tabulated values of the molar entropies of gases.
▪ Investors holding ninety-day Treasury bills experience very small changes in the value of those bills as interest rates fluctuate.
▪ Such small changes are invaluable in giving themes renewed vitality, while at the same time preserving unity.
▪ Try some of these steps: Make some small changes first.
▪ Very small changes make the biggest difference.
the little/small matter of sth
▪ But first there's the small matter of a semi-final clash that has split the household down the middle.
▪ His manifesto, of course, concerns the small matter of his life.
▪ On a good day, the building would be almost entirely rented-apart from the small matter of signing the contract.
▪ Then there was the small matter of my physical fitness.
▪ There's also the little matter of thirty-three shroud lines loops!
▪ There remains, as ever, the little matter of finance.
▪ This operation was tricky because there was the little matter of taking off my trousers and putting on my shorts.
▪ What about the small matter of the rest of the season?
the small screen
▪ I had seen the movie before, but it didn't look as good on the small screen.
▪ It's one of the best shows ever seen on the small screen.
▪ The story of Hearst's life made it to the small screen last spring.
the small/fine print
▪ But trading standards officers and the Consumers' Association are warning customers to scrutinise the small print.
▪ He starts to read one, clearly hoping to find the answer in the small print.
▪ His agent was sorting out the fine print.
▪ It is the broker's job to make sure the haulier fully understands the small print of the exemption and other clauses.
▪ It ought to be the fine print, not the screaming headline.
▪ New formulae claim anything from 15 to 24 hours' efficacy, so check the small print on the pack!
▪ You submit your offer on Form 656, but read the fine print on the back.
the wee (small) hours
▪ The recording session extended into the wee hours.
▪ An ideal adventure for beginners, this one should have you plugging away till the wee small hours of the morning.
▪ For safety, a night light comes on at the top of the stairs when some one emerges in the wee hours.
▪ Soul musicians are, by nature, nocturnal, so many of his interviews would take place in the wee hours.
▪ Their video-age medicine shows run on dozens of cable and broadcast outlets in the wee hours.
▪ We got to Sabinal in the wee hours before dawn.
▪ Where else can such a thought be debated ad nauseam into the wee hours of a boring Tuesday?
vanishingly small/improbable
▪ But even if this conclusion is not justified, we can say that infallible beliefs must have vanishingly small content.
▪ For just the same reason, it is vanishingly improbable that exactly the same evolutionary pathway should ever be travelled twice.
▪ If the object is very distant, linear magnification becomes vanishingly small.
▪ It would need a gigantic and vanishingly improbable leap across genetic hyperspace.
▪ On average, the chances of weediness emerging by accident are vanishingly small.
▪ Statistically, however, the chance of avoiding synonyms altogether is vanishingly small.
Related phrases:
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Small

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.

    1. Little coals of wood formerly used to light fires.
      --Gay.

    2. 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 \Small\, n.

  1. The small or slender part of a thing; as, the small of the leg or of the back.

  2. pl. Smallclothes. [Colloq.]
    --Hood. Dickens.

  3. pl. Same as Little go. See under Little, a.

Small

Small \Small\, v. t. To make little or less. [Obs.]

Small

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.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
small

Old English smæl "thin, slender, narrow; fine," from Proto-Germanic *smal- "small animal; small" (cognates: Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish, Middle Dutch, Dutch, Old High German smal, Old Frisian smel, German schmal "narrow, slender," Gothic smalista "smallest," Old Norse smali "small cattle, sheep"), perhaps from a PIE root *(s)melo- "smaller animal" (cognates: Greek melon, Old Irish mil "a small animal;" Old Church Slavonic malu "bad"). Original sense of "narrow" now almost obsolete, except in reference to waistline and intestines.\n\nMy sister ... is as white as a lilly, and as small as a wand.

[Shakespeare, "Two Gentlemen of Verona," 1591]

\nSense of "not large, of little size" developed in Old English. Of children, "young," from mid-13c. Meaning "inferior in degree or amount" is from late 13c. Meaning "trivial, unimportant" is from mid-14c. Sense of "having little property or trade" is from 1746. That of "characterized by littleness of mind or spirit, base, low, mean" is from 1824. As an adverb by late 14c.\n

Small fry, first recorded 1690s of little fish, 1885 of insignificant people. Small potatoes "no great matter" first attested 1924; small change "something of little value" is from 1902; small talk "chit-chat, trifling conversation" (1751) first recorded in Chesterfield's "Letters." Small world as a comment upon an unexpected meeting of acquaintances is recorded from 1895. Small-arms, indicating those capable of being carried in the hand (contrasted to ordnance) is recorded from 1710.
small

early 13c., "small person or animal," from small (adj.). From c.1300 as "persons of low rank" (opposed to great); late 15c. as "the small part" of something (such as small of the back, 1530s).

Related phrases:
Wiktionary
small

  1. Not large or big; insignificant; few in numbers or size. adv. 1 In a small fashion. 2 In or into small pieces. 3 (context obsolete English) To a small extent. n. 1 Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back. 2 (context UK in the plural English) underclothes. v

  2. 1 (context obsolete transitive English) To make little or less. 2 (context intransitive English) To become small; to dwindle.

Related phrases:
WordNet
small

  1. n. the slender part of the back

  2. a garment size for a small person

small

adv. on a small scale; "think small" [ant: big]

small

  1. adj. limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a little dining room"; "a little house"; "a small car"; "a little (or small) group"; "a small voice" [syn: little] [ant: large, large]

  2. limited in size or scope; "a small business"; "a newspaper with a modest circulation"; "small-scale plans"; "a pocket-size country" [syn: minor, modest, small-scale, pocket-size, pocket-sized]

  3. low or inferior in station or quality; "a humble cottage"; "a lowly parish priest"; "a modest man of the people"; "small beginnings" [syn: humble, low, lowly, modest]

  4. not fully grown; "what a big little boy you are"; "small children" [syn: little]

  5. too small to be seen except under a microscope [syn: microscopic, microscopical] [ant: macroscopic]

  6. not large but sufficient in size or amount; "a modest salary"; "modest inflation"; "helped in my own small way" [syn: modest]

  7. (of a voice) faint; "a little voice"; "a still small voice" [syn: little]

  8. slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope; "a series of death struggles with small time in between" [syn: small(a)]

  9. made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth); "her comments made me feel small" [syn: belittled, diminished]

  10. lowercase; "little a"; "small a"; "e.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters" [syn: little, minuscule]

  11. have fine or very small constituent particles; "a small misty rain"

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
SMALL

SMALL, Small Machine Algol Like Language, is a programming language developed by Dr. Nevil Brownlee of Auckland University.

Small (journal)

Small is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal. Established in 2005 as a monthly journal, it switched to biweekly in 2009. It publishes research in science and technology on the micro- and nanoscales in the form of Communications, Reviews, Concepts, Highlights, Essays, and Full Papers. The journal was co-founded by Chad Mirkin and Peter Gölitz. The editorial office is in Weinheim, Germany.

Small is available online through the Wiley Online Library. All of the publications can be found here.

Small (surname)

Small is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

  • Albion Woodbury Small (1854–1926), founded the first Department of Sociology in the United States at the University of Chicago
  • Ambrose Small (1863 - vanished 1919), Canadian theatre magnate
  • Archie Small (born 1889), English footballer with Southampton
  • Bertrice Small (1937–2015), American writer of historical and erotic romance novels
  • Brendon Small (born 1975),American actor, composer, and musician
  • Bruce Small (1895–1980), Australian businessman and politician
  • Charles A. Small, Director of The Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism
  • Charlotte Small, Métis wife of explorer David Thompson
  • Chris Small (born 1973), Scottish professional snooker player
  • Edward Small (1891–1977), film producer
  • Elisha Small (died 1842), American sailor
  • Emily Small (1996-present), All Star Legend
  • Ernest Gregor Small (1888-1944), American admiral
  • Frank Small, Jr. (1896–1973), represented the fifth district of the state of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives
  • Fred Small (born 1952), American singer-songwriter
  • Gladstone Small (born 1961), former England cricketer
  • Heather Small (born 1965), British soul singer
  • Henry Small (footballer) (1881–1946), English footballer with Southampton and Manchester United
  • Henry Small (singer), Canadian singer
  • Jack Small (1765–1836), English cricketer
  • Jack Small (footballer) (1889–1946), English footballer with Sunderland and Southampton
  • James Edward Small (1798–1869), lawyer, judge and political figure in Canada
  • James Small (inventor) (1730–1793)
  • James Small (rugby player) (born 1969), South African rugby union footballer
  • John Kunkel Small (1869–1938), American botanist
  • John Small (cricketer) (1737–1826), English cricketer
  • John Small (politician) (1746–1841), political figure in Upper Canada
  • Joe Small (cricketer) (1892–1958), West Indian cricketer
  • Len Small (1862–1936), Republican governor of Illinois
  • Mews Small, American actress
  • Michael Small (1939–2003), American film score composer
  • Millie (singer) (born 1946), singer born Millicent Dolly May Small
  • Milton Small, (born 1964), former West Indian cricketer
  • Pauline Small (1924–2005)
  • Phil Small, Australian bassist
  • Richard H. Small, American scientist, responsible for creating the algorithms for calculating loudspeaker cabinets together with Albert Neville Thiele (Thiele/Small parameter)
  • Sami Jo Small (born 1976), women's ice hockey player
  • Sharon Small (born 1967),Scottish actress
  • Sherrod Small, comedian
  • Viro Small (born 1854), catch wrestler and boxer of African descent
  • Willard Stanton Small (1870–1943), experimental psychologist
  • Wade Small (born 1984), footballer
  • William Small (1734–1775)
  • William Small (Scottish politician) (1909–1978)

Fictional characters:

  • Diogenes Small, fictional character in the Inspector Morse series of books
Related phrases:

Usage examples of "small".

The monstrosities abiding within the smaller man could not molest him or they would certainly already have done so.

On the dressing table, ably guarded by a dark Regency armchair cushioned in yet another floral, sat an assemblage of antique silver-hair accessories and crystal perfume flacons, the grouping flanked by two small lamps, everything centered around a gold Empire vanity mirror.

It is one of a small group of diseases characterized by the production of abnormally high quantities of urine, so that water seemed simply to pass through the body in a hurry.

Just where the bitumen ended and the grass began sat a small Aboriginal boy, I recognised him as belonging to a house around the corner from us!

But thus far there had been no other craft sighted on the waters, although smokes were visible from the many Aliansa village sites and a small group of aborigines was spied netting fish in the shallows.

Gordon realized the improbability of this small abrasion severing the plastic.

A small area of abrasion or contusion was on the cheek near the right ear, and a prominent dried abrasion was on the lower left side of the neck.

The guns of those ships, being disposed along the sides, were for the most part able to bear only upon an enemy abreast of them, with a small additional angle of train toward ahead or astern.

A forensic team abseils down the cliff and scours the area but finds nothing more than a few small strips of clothing.

As such minute doses of the salts of ammonia affect the leaves, we may feel almost sure that Drosera absorbs and profits by the amount, though small, which is present in rainwater, in the same manner as other plants absorb these same salts by their roots.

These probably sink down besmeared with the secretion and rest on the small sessile glands, which, if we may judge by the analogy of Drosophyllum, then pour forth their secretion and afterwards absorb the digested matter.

After a leaf had been left in a weak infusion of raw meat for 10 hours, the cells of the papillae had evidently absorbed animal matter, for instead of limpid fluid they now contained small aggregated masses of protoplasm, which slowly and incessantly changed their forms.

The enlarged flyby surveillance photograph hanging on the wall showed in grainy black and white the cabin and its grounds, including the wide, elevated back porch on which Glenn Abies could be seen standing, small but unmistakable, giving the helicopter the finger.

Indeed it is not in the public interest that straightforwardness should be extirpated root and branch, for the presence of a small modicum of sincerity acts as a wholesome irritant to the academicism of the greatest number, stimulating it to consciousness of its own happy state, and giving it something to look down upon.

Men and women bright enough to run a particle accelerator the size of a small planet likewise had to be at least somewhat aware that they were being manipulated, even as they let it happen.