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small

small

156 1.0
Young and not fully grown
  • adjective
  • /smɔl/
: pequeño
  • The small boy held his mother's hand tightly as they crossed the street.
  • a small child

So for when we're, when we're small babies, isolation is death.

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Examples

  • In the mirror I see her face, her small dark eyes.

  • Also, yes, I'm seeing a small boy running around the house.

  • You have to remember how small she is at the moment.

  • So that will prevent small animals from from coming in.

  • - But did you see how small his hands are?

  • You repeat the experiment with a small child both ways.

  • Ahead of us, women in shawls and small children are picking up coal along the road.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I began engaging in interreligious dialogue as a very small child, and it has framed my entire life.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Veins collapse, opening like the small fists of sleeping children.

  • I admit he's small, but he's very compact and extremely strong.

Synonyms

little
vssmall
∞ 1.0

Young and not fully grown

is the general label here for that same young not fully grown state
immature
vssmall
12 3.0

Not fully grown, like a young plant or animal

is limited to children and animals rather than all things

Antonyms

478 1.0

Fully grown and mature

Idioms

small wonder
  • Informal
6 4.4

Not surprising because the facts make it clear

A difficult and impressive achievement

4 7.7

Worry too much about small, unimportant things

A small action that leads to a very large benefit for all people

2 5.5

An important person in a small group who has more power than elsewhere

1 9.3

People print words very small in documents to hide important details

You do a little at a time instead of trying everything at once

Compounds

407 1.5

A community with few people and few shops

small talk
  • Informal
83 2.1

Polite short talk about simple topics like the weather

56 2.7

Used for projects or models that are not large

small arm
  • Specialized
26 4.9

A gun like a handgun or rifle that a person can carry

21 1.0

A boat that is small and used for short trips on lakes or rivers

17 3.3

A large amount of money that is more than you expect

16 1.0

A small extra payment you give to use a service

15 2.0

A person who owns or works on a small farm to grow food

small intestine
  • Specialized
13 3.4

A long narrow tube between the stomach and large bowel that digests food and takes in nutrients

12 2.8

A person who owns or runs a small company with fewer than 100 employees

9 2.3

A small amount of money in coins that is not worth much

Part of the United States government that helps small businesses with loans and advice

small fry
  • Offensive
7 6.9

People or groups seen as unimportant compared to others

6 3.8

Important details in an agreement or document printed in very small type

small cap
  • Specialized
6 6.3

A company on the stock market with a small market value

5 4.9

A very early time in the morning soon after midnight

3 1.8

A person who is shorter than most people and has a light build

3 4.4

Wild animals like rabbits and pheasants that people hunt for food or sport

small-cap
  • Specialized
2 7.0

A company or stock with a small market value, often under one billion dollars

2 1.9

A letter that is not a capital letter

A small problem when people do not understand each other

A warm, friendly feeling in a small town where people know each other

small-capitalization
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Of companies worth less than one billion dollars

small beer
  • Archaic
1 7.9

Something unimportant and not worth much attention

1 5.8

With wings that are small for its body

1 8.8

A small irregular galaxy near the Milky Way that you can see from the Southern Hemisphere

small fry
  • Informal
1 7.4

Young children who are not yet adults

small cell carcinoma
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A very serious cancer made of small round cells that grows and spreads quickly in the lungs

small capital
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A letter that looks like a big letter but is the height of a small letter used for emphasis

Animals like chickens or rabbits that people keep for eggs, meat and money

1 6.3

An inner feeling that quietly tells you right from wrong

small cap
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A capital letter the same height as a small letter used for style

An activity of searching for and shooting small wild animals and birds for food or sport

1 5.1

Very small bits of dirty matter in the air that come from smoke and engines and can harm people's health

small man syndrome
  • Offensive
1 8.2

A man who acts overly aggressive to hide feeling weak or less important

A baby who is much smaller and lighter than usual for their pregnancy length

A company that gives small loans to people who cannot get bank loans

A common way to connect a computer to devices like printers or hard drives

A plant that produces small fruit

1 4.3

An animal with ears that are small for its head

1 4.4

A plant or crop with smaller parts inside its fruit than other kinds

small calorie
  • Specialized
6.3

Amount of heat that raises one gram of water by one degree Celsius at normal air pressure

5.8

A grass like reeds that grows in wet places like marshes, often in the southern United States

A low trailing plant of cold places that makes small red berries you can eat

A rude word for someone, often a man, who acts loud and angry to hide low confidence

A small animal like a cat that is active at night and lives in Southeast Asian forests

A tiny, not exact bit of something

8.1

A shop on a ship where sailors buy personal items taken from their pay

small stuff
  • Specialized
8.6

A thin rope on a ship used for small tasks like tying or securing

small slam
  • Jargon
9.2

A bridge result when players win all but one trick in a hand

small white aster
  • Specialized
8.7

A small plant that comes back each year with white daisy-like flowers

A large European tree with small dark green leaves often planted in parks

small-leaved linden
  • Specialized
8.1

A large European tree with small dark green leaves grown for its shade and beauty

A belief in small communities that favors tradition and close relationships

A quiet inner feeling that tells you when something is wrong

How Young

newborn
9 1.1
infant
320 1.0
small
156 1.0
young
∞ 1.0
adolescent
67 3.4
mature
93 3.4

Surface Forms

small positive
smaller comparative
smallest superlative

Etymology

Small comes from an old German word smal meaning 'narrow' or 'thin'. Young animals and children are small because they are not fully grown yet, so the old idea of being less in size helps explain this use.