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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
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  1.  
     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.
  2.  
     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.
  3.  
     (of distance or time) short
    • A little while later the phone rang.
    • Shall we walk a little way?
  4.  
     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.
  5.  
     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!
    6. Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
Idioms
great/tall oaks from little acorns grow
  1. (saying) something large and successful often begins in a very small wayTopics Successc2
a little bird told me
  1. (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)…
  1. 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
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  1.  
    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.
  2.  
     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.
    3. Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
Idioms
little by little
  1. slowly; gradually
    • Little by little the snow disappeared.
    • His English is improving little by little.

little

adverb
 
/ˈlɪtl/
/ˈlɪtl/
(less, least)
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  1.  
    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?
  2.  
     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.
    3. Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
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更新时间：2025/1/27 21:37:27