small
/smɔːl/ (bre, ipa) · /smɔːl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsmȯl/ (ame, mw) · /smɑːl/ (ame, ipa)
small — adjective
- smallpositive
- smallercomparative
- smallestsuperlative
1. having less size, quantity, or degree than what people think of as typical
having less size, quantity, or degree than what people think of as typical
The kitten was so small that it fit in Ramón's hand.
so + adjective + that-clause for result
Salma's family lives in a small house near the river.
We only need a small amount of butter for this cake.
The suitcase is small enough to take onto the plane.
Hoa picked a small flower and gave it to her grandmother.
用法筆記
Used for both physical size and abstract quantities (a small number, a small fee).
常見錯誤
2. at an early stage of life — past the baby years but still very young
at an early stage of life — past the baby years but still very young
Sumin was very small when she first learned to swim.
used for children, not babies — implies toddler or young child age
The small children played together in the sandbox all morning.
Sora's brother is still small — he just started his first year of school.
Nikos has been teaching small children how to swim for years.
A small child needs help with buttons and zippers.
- big
used informally for older children: 'my big sister'
用法筆記
Only used for people who have passed the baby stage but are not yet school-age or just starting school. Not used for teenagers or adults.
常見錯誤
3. limited in what you do or in how many people or activities are involved
limited in what you do or in how many people or activities are involved
Gita runs a small business that sells handmade furniture.
collocation: small business
The bakery started on a small scale, selling only to neighbours at first.
collocation: on a small scale
The café made small changes to the menu based on customer feedback.
A small group of volunteers cleaned up the park after the storm.
Sivan's company started small but now has fifty employees.
- large-scale
covering a wide range or involving many people
4. of little significance and unlikely to create difficulties
of little significance and unlikely to create difficulties
The broken zipper was only a small problem, and we fixed it quickly.
Adaeze did not get angry about small mistakes in the report.
collocation: small mistake
Emre and Hugo had a small disagreement about weekend plans, but they laughed it off later.
The design team spent too much time on small details like the font colour.
Jenna refused to argue with her roommate over such a small matter.
常見錯誤
5. feeling ashamed, embarrassed, or less important than others, usually because of
feeling ashamed, embarrassed, or less important than others, usually because of something someone said or did
After losing the race, Allison felt very small and wanted to hide.
pattern: feel small
The manager's rude comments made Selim feel small in front of everyone.
pattern: make someone feel small
Ramón felt small when he realized he could not help his friends.
Adaeze's confident speech made Nikos feel small about his own effort.
- ashamed
more direct and common; focuses on guilt about a specific action
- humiliated
stronger — implies public embarrassment
- proud
feeling good about oneself — the opposite emotional state
文法句型
feel + small
make + object + feel + small
用法筆記
Almost always follows verbs like feel, make, or look. Rarely used alone as a direct description ('He is small' would be interpreted as sense 1).
常見錯誤
6. using the smaller form of a letter — such as 'a' instead of 'A'
using the smaller form of a letter — such as 'a' instead of 'A'
Christopher wrote his name in small letters at the bottom of the page.
collocation: in small letters
Hugo wrote his address in small letters on the envelope, as the form required.
Gita learned to write capital letters before she learned small ones.
The sign was printed in small letters that were hard to read.
Lucía's teacher asked her to fix any small letters that should be capitals in her essay.
- lowercase
the technical term in printing and computing; more formal than small
常見錯誤
small — adverb
1. into a small size or small pieces
into a small size or small pieces
Cut the vegetables small so they cook more quickly.
pattern: cut + object + small
Sivan writes so small that I need a magnifying glass to read it.
pattern: write + small
Fold the map small so it fits inside your jacket pocket.
The baker rolled the dough small before cutting out cookie shapes.
- finely
used specifically for cutting or grinding into very small pieces (finely chopped)
- large
adverb in phrases like 'write large', 'cut large'
文法句型
verb + small
用法筆記
Common in fixed verb phrases: cut something small, write small, fold small. The adverb always follows the verb.
small — noun
1. the narrow part of a person's back between the ribs and the hips
the narrow part of a person's back between the ribs and the hips
Salma felt a sharp pain in the small of her back after gardening all day.
pattern: the small of [possessive] back
The doctor pressed gently on the small of Hoa's back during the check-up.
After sitting all day, Christopher felt a sore spot in the small of his back.
A small cushion supports the small of your back while you drive.
文法句型
the small of [possessive] back
用法筆記
Always used with the definite article and followed by 'of' plus a possessive: 'the small of my/his/her/your back'. Never used alone ('My small hurts').
常見錯誤
2. items of underwear, particularly when they are being washed or packed for a trip
items of underwear, particularly when they are being washed or packed for a trip
Gita put the smalls in the washing machine with the towels.
informal British usage: smalls = underwear
The hotel offers a small bag for guests to wash their smalls by hand.
Baraka packed his smalls in a separate bag before his holiday trip.
The hotel laundry collected towels and smalls separately.
用法筆記
An old-fashioned or informal British term. Usually plural (smalls). More common in the context of laundry than daily conversation.