little

adjective

/ˈlɪtl/

[usually before noun] The forms littler

/ˈlɪtlə(r)/

/ˈlɪtlər/

and littlest

/ˈlɪtlɪst/

are rare. It is more common to use smaller and smallest.Idioms

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not big; small; smaller than others
- a little house
- a little group of tourists
- a little old lady
- We passed through several nice little towns.
- It was a tiny little room.
- ‘Which do you want?’ ‘I'll take the little one.’
- She gave a little laugh.
- (British English) We should manage, with a little bit of luck.
- Here's a little something (= a small present) for your birthday.
Extra Examples
- It was a lovely little village before the war.
- The room was full of funny little animals.
- I was a little bit afraid of him.
- We had a little adventure yesterday.
- You'll feel a little sting.
young
- a little boy/girl
- He's just a little kid.
- my little brother/sister (= younger brother/sister)
- The little ones were already in bed.
- cute little baby animals
- I lived in America when I was little.
- He's still very little and doesn't understand yet.
(of distance or time) short
- A little while later the phone rang.
- Shall we walk a little way?
used after an adjective to show approval, sympathy or dislike, especially in a patronizing way (= one that suggests that you think you are better than somebody)
- The poor little thing! It's lost its mother.
- What a nasty little man!
- She's a good little worker.
- He'd become quite the little gentleman.
not important; not serious
- I can't remember every little detail.
- Sometimes it's the little things that count.
- You soon get used to the little difficulties.
Extra Examples
- The system has some odd little quirks.
- It's just one of life's little mysteries.
- All those problems because of one little mistake!

Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.

Idioms

great/tall oaks from little acorns grow

(saying) something large and successful often begins in a very small wayTopics Successc2

a little bird told me

(informal) used to say that somebody told you something but you do not want to say who it was

(it’s) no/little/small wonder (that)…

it is not surprising
- It is little wonder (that) she was so upset.
- (informal) No wonder you're tired—you've been walking for hours.
- No wonder you're still single—you never go out!

little

determiner, pronoun

/ˈlɪtl/

Idioms

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a little
used with uncountable nouns to mean ‘a small amount’, ‘some’
- a little milk/sugar/tea
- If you have any spare milk, could you give me a little?
- I've only read a little of the book so far.
- (formal) It caused not a little/no little (= a lot of) confusion.
- After a little (= a short time) he got up and left.
used with uncountable nouns to mean ‘not much’
- There was little doubt in my mind.
- Students have little or no choice in the matter.
- I understood little of what he said.
- She said little or nothing (= hardly anything) about her experience.
- Tell him as little as possible.

Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.

Idioms

little by little

slowly; gradually
- Little by little the snow disappeared.
- His English is improving little by little.

little

adverb

/ˈlɪtl/

(less, least)

jump to other results

a little (bit)
to a small degree
- She seemed a little afraid of going inside.
- These shoes are a little (bit) too big for me.
- These days I'm a little more relaxed.
- (informal) Everything has become just that little bit harder.
- (formal) She felt tired and more than a little worried.
British/American a bit / a little
a bit / a little
- In British English it is common to use a bit to mean ‘slightly’ or ‘to a small extent’:
  These shoes are a bit tight.
  I’ll be a bit later home tomorrow.
  Can you turn the volume up a bit?
- It is more common in North American English to say a little, or (informal) a little bit. You can also use these phrases in British English:
  These shoes are a little bit too tight.
  I’ll be a little later home tomorrow.
  Can you turn the volume up a little bit?
not much; only slightly
- He is little known as an artist.
- I slept very little last night.
- Little did I know that this spelled the end of my career.

Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.

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单词	little
释义	little adjective /ˈlɪtl/ /ˈlɪtl/ [usually before noun] The forms littler /ˈlɪtlə(r)/ /ˈlɪtlər/ and littlest /ˈlɪtlɪst/ /ˈlɪtlɪst/ are rare. It is more common to use smaller and smallest.Idioms jump to other results not big; small; smaller than others a little house a little group of tourists a little old lady We passed through several nice little towns. It was a tiny little room. ‘Which do you want?’ ‘I'll take the little one.’ She gave a little laugh. (British English) We should manage, with a little bit of luck. Here's a little something (= a small present) for your birthday. Extra Examples It was a lovely little village before the war. The room was full of funny little animals. I was a little bit afraid of him. We had a little adventure yesterday. You'll feel a little sting. young a little boy/girl He's just a little kid. my little brother/sister (= younger brother/sister) The little ones were already in bed. cute little baby animals I lived in America when I was little. He's still very little and doesn't understand yet. (of distance or time) short A little while later the phone rang. Shall we walk a little way? used after an adjective to show approval, sympathy or dislike, especially in a patronizing way (= one that suggests that you think you are better than somebody) The poor little thing! It's lost its mother. What a nasty little man! She's a good little worker. He'd become quite the little gentleman. not important; not serious I can't remember every little detail. Sometimes it's the little things that count. You soon get used to the little difficulties. Extra Examples The system has some odd little quirks. It's just one of life's little mysteries. All those problems because of one little mistake! Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel. Idioms great/tall oaks from little acorns grow (saying) something large and successful often begins in a very small wayTopics Successc2 a little bird told me (informal) used to say that somebody told you something but you do not want to say who it was (it’s) no/little/small wonder (that)… it is not surprising It is little wonder (that) she was so upset. (informal) No wonder you're tired—you've been walking for hours. No wonder you're still single—you never go out! little determiner, pronoun /ˈlɪtl/ /ˈlɪtl/ Idioms jump to other results a little used with uncountable nouns to mean ‘a small amount’, ‘some’ a little milk/sugar/tea If you have any spare milk, could you give me a little? I've only read a little of the book so far. (formal) It caused not a little/no little (= a lot of) confusion. After a little (= a short time) he got up and left. used with uncountable nouns to mean ‘not much’ There was little doubt in my mind. Students have little or no choice in the matter. I understood little of what he said. She said little or nothing (= hardly anything) about her experience. Tell him as little as possible. Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel. Idioms little by little slowly; gradually Little by little the snow disappeared. His English is improving little by little. little adverb /ˈlɪtl/ /ˈlɪtl/ (less, least) jump to other results a little (bit) to a small degree She seemed a little afraid of going inside. These shoes are a little (bit) too big for me. These days I'm a little more relaxed. (informal) Everything has become just that little bit harder. (formal) She felt tired and more than a little worried. British/American a bit / a littlea bit / a little In British English it is common to use a bit to mean ‘slightly’ or ‘to a small extent’: These shoes are a bit tight. I’ll be a bit later home tomorrow. Can you turn the volume up a bit? It is more common in North American English to say a little, or (informal) a little bit. You can also use these phrases in British English: These shoes are a little bit too tight. I’ll be a little later home tomorrow. Can you turn the volume up a little bit? not much; only slightly He is little known as an artist. I slept very little last night. Little did I know that this spelled the end of my career. Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
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