small
- adjective
- /smɔl/
- Specialized
- During a spring 2009 visit to Shahdad, he discovered a small stone container lying on the ground.
- small particles
Examples
-
The streams flowing in are very small, and they flow through very diffuse channels.
Academic text (2008) -
Now these are very small particles of iron.
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Our team filled all these small bottles this afternoon.
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Systems can be small and simple or large, complex, and made up of smaller subsystems.
Academic text (2015) -
This is actually awesome how small this charger is.
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She has lost a small piece of a very large puzzle.
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The seeds look like small kind of elongated discs.
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The laboratory measured extremely small particles in the air to assess pollution levels.
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In the experiment, we used small particles of sand to demonstrate sedimentation.
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Scientists observed how small droplets of water formed on the surface of the leaves.
Synonyms
So small it can fit in your hand
Has very small particles so it feels smooth
So small that only a microscope can see it
Very small in size or amount
Contains very small, closely packed particles that make it feel smooth like fine sugar
Very small and easy to miss
Something that is very small, like tiny particles or thin fibers
Made of very small pieces like fine sand
So small that you can only see it with a microscope
Extremely small and hard to see
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
An important person in a small group who has more power than elsewhere
A small action that leads to a very large benefit for all people
Compounds
- Canadian
A person who owns or runs a small company with fewer than 100 employees
- Specialized
A long narrow tube between the stomach and large bowel that digests food and takes in nutrients
Part of the United States government that helps small businesses with loans and advice
- Specialized
A company or stock with a small market value, often under one billion dollars
- Specialized
Amount of heat that raises one gram of water by one degree Celsius at normal air pressure
- US
A grass like reeds that grows in wet places like marshes, often in the southern United States
- Specialized
A letter that looks like a big letter but is the height of a small letter used for emphasis
- Slur
A rude word for someone, often a man, who acts loud and angry to hide low confidence
- Specialized
A very serious cancer made of small round cells that grows and spreads quickly in the lungs
A small animal like a cat that is active at night and lives in Southeast Asian forests
- Specialized
A common way to connect a computer to devices like printers or hard drives
An activity of searching for and shooting small wild animals and birds for food or sport
- Specialized
A small irregular galaxy near the Milky Way that you can see from the Southern Hemisphere
- Offensive
A man who acts overly aggressive to hide feeling weak or less important
- Specialized
A small plant that comes back each year with white daisy-like flowers
- Specialized
A baby who is much smaller and lighter than usual for their pregnancy length
- Specialized
A large European tree with small dark green leaves grown for its shade and beauty
- Specialized
Very small bits of dirty matter in the air that come from smoke and engines and can harm people's health
How Fine
Surface Forms
Etymology
Small comes from an old German word smal meaning 'narrow' or 'thin'. We use small for fine or tiny particles because these bits are very little and thin, keeping the idea of being very small.