little bit
∞
1.0
- noun
- /ˈlɪtəl bɪt/
:
un poco
- Took a little bit of a detour this morning.
- just a little bit
- a little bit more
- only a little bit
And then I'm going to put a little bit down the sides.
- And then I'm going to put a little bit down the sides.
- So, yeah, you just have to have a little bit of faith and balls.
- We're going to listen to, you know it, a little bit of boosie.
Examples
-
Let me tell you a little bit about my old man.
-
If we turn the lights down a little bit, yes.
-
It's going to be just a little bit more.
-
We talked about this just a little bit in class.
-
I think it's a little bit too small to show.
-
Suddenly things become a little bit better, right.
-
I think things are just a little bit different for me.
-
So my lips do feel a little bit dry.
-
And school was a little bit boring in some ways.
-
I added just a little bit of salt to enhance the flavor of the dish.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A small piece or amount of something, for example food
315
1.0
A small number of people or things
102
5.5
A small amount
14
7.9
A very small amount of something
10
2.3
A small amount of money in coins that is not worth much
9
7.3
A very small amount, like a tiny bit of salt
3
5.3
A very small amount of something
3
4.6
A very small amount, like a tiny spoonful
1
1.0
A very small amount or short time
1
9.9
A very small amount of something
A tiny, not exact bit of something
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small amount' is directly and compositionally derived from 'little' (small) + 'bit' (a small piece/amount); there is no idiomatic shift. This is a common, cross-linguistically accessible way to express small quantity, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Little bit comes from the simple picture of a very small bit or piece, like taking one tiny bit of a cookie. So little bit means 'a small amount'.