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ˈlɪtl I Adjective House Group Tourists Lady Passed

Word3 little
WordType (adjective)
Phonetic /ˈlɪtl/ /ˈlɪtl/
Example
  • a little house
  • a little group of tourists
  • a little old lady
  • we passed through several nice little towns.
Sound Online sound. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/media/english/us_pron/l/lit/littl/little__us_4.mp3
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Content

little

(adjective)/ˈlɪtl/ /ˈlɪtl/
  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.
    • 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. 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. something large and successful often begins in a very small way
  7. used to say that somebody told you something but you do not want to say who it was
  8. it is not surprising
    • It is little wonder (that) she was so upset.
    • No wonder you're tired—you've been walking for hours.
    • No wonder you're still single—you never go out!

    Word Origin

    • Old English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.
Copyright This card's content is collected from the following dictionaries: Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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