little
- adjective
- /ˈlɪtəl/
- Remember when you were little and we'd play dress up?
- a little girl
- a little boy
- a little baby
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Watch on YouTubeI would when I was little, not now.
- I would when I was little, not now.
- We were from the age where little Kim had the boob.
- And, you know, I think having a little Asian baby is beautiful.
Examples
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I was about to call up to your farm to welcome you into our little community.
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I am going to miss these little talks of ours.
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And I, I just was struck by how little I was.
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You mean the little girl on the piano?
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One summer evening, led by her, I found a little boat tied to a willow tree.
Academic text (2011) -
Jolly Jack and I have our little secret.
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Oh, and this little piggy, he stayed at home.
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His nephew's side of the story was that the little boy was a bully.
Academic text (2013) -
- Where's the little boy, Mr. Reece?
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The little puppy wagged its tail excitedly as it played with the children.
Synonyms
Young and not fully grown
An informal word that shows something is small
Not fully grown, like a young plant or animal
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
A modest, joking way to talk about yourself when you get praise or attention
- Informal
You say this when you hear something but do not say who told you
- Informal
A playful phrase that says another person or pet is welcome too
A peaceful small-town feeling with friendly neighbors like in old TV shows
- Informal
A small, disappointing thing that does not help enough
- Informal
To make decisions using feelings instead of careful thought
Compounds
An organized baseball and softball league for children with teams, games, and coaching
- Literature
A girl in a famous fairy tale who meets a wolf while visiting her grandmother
- Literature
A person who panics about small problems and warns others without reason
- Baby Talk
A traditional English children's rhyme that counts toes while a parent wiggles them
A child between eight and twelve who plays on an organized youth baseball team
A group of seven stars that look like a small spoon in the northern sky with Polaris at its handle
A young woman who seems unhappy or lonely even though she has a lot of money
A small thing that helps a parent get through the day, like a drink, medicine, or tool
A 1876 battle in Montana where United States soldiers led by Custer lose to Sioux and Cheyenne warriors
- Literature
A soldier in green with no badge sent so a country can deny sending them
- Offensive
A child who is spoiled because parents give them everything they want
A river that flows from northern Wyoming into the Bighorn River in southern Montana known for Custer's Last Stand
A river in the western United States famous for the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn
- Offensive
A person who follows orders without thinking, often in a large organization
An 1876 battle in Montana where General Custer's soldiers were defeated by Sioux and Cheyenne
A river in the north-central United States that starts in northeast Wyoming and joins the Missouri River in North Dakota
A small brown flying animal common in North America that sleeps in houses and forests
- UK
A small white bird with a thin black bill that lives by rivers and catches fish
- Offensive
A person who has narrow views about other countries and England's place in the world
- Specialized
A small low plant with short leafy stems and small round yellow orange flowers
A small animal like a rabbit that lives in rocky mountain areas in North America
A very small shiny black insect that lives in groups and often comes into houses for food
A small group of stars in the northern sky east of Orion that contains the bright star Procyon
- Offensive
A man's sexual feelings or other emotions that make him act without thinking
How Young
Surface Forms
Etymology
Little comes from the old English word lytel, which means 'small'. This idea of small fits children and young animals, so we use little to mean someone who is young or not fully grown.