From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_730_zlittlelit‧tle1 /ˈlɪtl/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 sizeSMALL [usually before noun] small in size a little house a cake decorated with little flowers She was cutting the meat up into little bits.little tiny/tiny little spoken (=extremely small) a little tiny puppylittle bitty American English spoken (=extremely small)a little something informal (=a small present, or a small amount of food) I’d like to buy him a little something to thank him.► see thesaurus at small2 SMALLsomething you like or dislike [only before noun] used between an adjective and a noun to emphasize that you like or dislike something or someone, although they are not important, impressive etc It could be a nice little business. a useful little gadget It was another of her silly little jokes. a boring little manpoor little thing (=used to show sympathy) The poor little thing had hurt its wing.3 → a little bit4 time/distanceNEARSHORT TIME [only before noun] short in time or distance You could have a little sleep in the car. We walked a little way along this path. He arrived a little while ago.5 youngYOUNG little children are young We didn’t have toys like this when I was little.little boy/girl two little boys playing in the streetsomebody’s little boy/girl (=someone’s son or daughter who is still a child) Mum, I’m 17 – I’m not your little girl any longer.somebody’s little brother/sister (=a younger brother or sister who is still a child) Her little brother and sister were fighting again.► see thesaurus at young6 LITTLE/NOT VERYslight [only before noun] done in a way that is not very noticeable a little smile Nicolo gave a little nod of his head. 7 unimportant [only before noun] a) LITTLE/NOT VERYnot important She gets very angry over little things. There isn’t time to discuss every little detail. b) IMPORTANTnot important – used when you really think that something is important There’s just that little matter of the £5,000 you owe me.8 → (just) that little bit better/easier etc9 → the little woman → a little bird told me at bird(4)GrammarOrder of adjectivesIf there is more than one adjective, the adjectives are usually used in a fixed order.You say: What a pretty little cottage! ✗Don’t say: What a little pretty cottage!You say: I bought a little black bag. ✗Don’t say: I bought a black little bag.ComparativesYou can say smaller or smallest, but ‘littler’ and ‘littlest’ are not often used. You say: Her feet are even smaller than mine. ✗Don’t say: Her feet are even littler than mine. | Her feet are more little than mine.
Examples from the Corpus
little• I loved playing with blocks when I was little.• a poor little bird• Her little boy was Johnny, seven years old, dark-eyed and sweet.• What an annoying little boy!• What a lovely little dog!• She was only about seventeen, with the most beautiful little face I had ever seen.• a little farm on the hill• I haven't seen one of those since I was a little girl.• They've been married for ten years and have two little girls.• The little Hoflin, who had her speciality showpiece in Act Two, did it very badly and finally tripped and fell.• They bought a nice little house near the beach.• a nice little house• Todd's stupid little jokes• a little laugh• On the jetty near the little lighthouse is a remarkably good restaurant.• Delicate little Louise, requiring round-the-clock, year-long, life-long protection.• There's just that little matter of the $5000 you owe me.• a little nap• We saw a little old lady with a walking-stick.• There were three bridesmaids at the wedding, and even the little one behaved beautifully.• So this little one is a surprise.• a cute little puppy• Where the Aztecs are is just a little short.• It's just a little souvenir I brought back from Italy• Oh, the poor little thing, he's hurt his paw.• Alice gets angry over little things.• He had climbed a little way up the tree and gotten scared.a little something• So I thought, a little push, a little shove, a little something extra to shake it loose.• Pawlowski knows a little something about horsepower.• Here's a little something from the girls in the office.• Well, I ate a little something in my room earlier.• Before that, and this should tell you a little something, it was not much more attractive for Stanford.• Can yet give us a little something now, Morreen.• This time aliens stop by for a visit and leave a little something, um, behind.• I always bring Maggie a little something when I come back from business trips.• Let me just tell you a little something!• Mrs Fanning also stood up and said she could stand to leave behind a little something.nice little• The suit he wore was fabulous - a sort of electric blue braiding, a nice little cabaret job.• Found me some water and made me a nice little crop.• That would be a nice little earner for us.• These were the nice little gestures that went with the setting.• What is more she doesn't want to leave her home, a nice little house that she inherited from her parents.• Oh, Gramps, she thought tiredly, what a nice little legacy you left your granddaughter.• But now I have Timmy, a nice little man and a grand companion.a little while• I now had some helpful connections in Warsaw, even if for only a little while.• It might take me a little while.• So he stays at Camelot for a little while.• He came down from Massachusetts for a little while and paid a call on Whitman in Brooklyn.• I waited a little while before I called back.• I adjusted my tie and buttoned up the coat which, a little while later, I would be unbuttoning.• And Gabby hoped he was right, as they took their seats a little while later.• Just for a little while listen to me!• Stop by and learn a little while you enjoy the tunes.little boy/girl• I was a clever little girl.• She saw herself as such a jolly little girl.• As after all I was not a bad little boy but I was shy and covered it up by bravado.• You will interfere with my responsibilities regarding this very lost little boy only at supreme hazard to yourself.• Maria Luisa isn't the gullible little girl she was last year in Seville.• Nobody pushed little boys to play sports if they preferred to cook instead; nobody mocked little girls who collected spiders.• I encouraged a little boy to write the makers of his favorite mustard, telling them about his delight in their product.• He persisted, and discovered that the little boy was called Grégoire.littlelittle2 ●●● S1 W1 determiner, pronoun 1 LITTLE/NOT MUCHonly a small amount or hardly any of something There’s little doubt in my mind that he’s guilty. I paid little attention to what the others were saying. Little is known about the causes of the problem. Changes in the law have done little to improve the situation.little of Little of their wealth now remains. There’s very little money left. Many of the students speak little or no English. He knew little or nothing (=almost nothing) about fixing cars. My lawyer advised me to say as little as possible. He did precious little (=very little) to help. The laboratory tests are of little real value.2 → a little3 → as little as £5/3 months/10 feet etc4 → what little5 → a little (of something) goes a long wayGRAMMAR: Comparisona little• A little means ‘some, but not a lot’.• You use a little before uncountable nouns: We still have a little time left.• You can say a little of the: A little of the milk got spilled. ✗Don’t say: A little of milk got spilled.little• Little is mainly used in more formal English. It means ‘not much’ and emphasizes how small an amount is. • You use little before uncountable nouns: There is little chance of success.• You can say very little: He has very little money.• In everyday English, people usually say not much instead: There is not much chance of success.He does not have much money.Examples from the Corpus
very little• We drink only occasionally, and even then very little.• The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little.• Considering they work so hard they're paid very little.• A younger person marrying and taking on a teenage family may know very little about adolescents.• The soup is made with lots of vegetables but very little chicken.• Changing the law will make very little difference.• In some places, we find very little distinction between male and female.• Supplying that, they have time for very little else.• I had very little energy left.• Fish contains very little fat.• "How much do you know about computers?" "Very little, I'm afraid."• There was no ink in the bottle and very little left in the pen.• Even with the few remaining assets, there is very little margin to work on.• When Maria lost her job she had very little money in savings.• A white spot on a yellow model gathered very little more response.• From that moment on I saw very little of Dean, and I was a little sorry too.• He ate very little of the food we had given him.• He spends very little on food.• It makes very little sense for companies to maintain large inventories these days.• Kendall's condition has improved very little since last week.• There is very little slack built into the system and usually not much tolerance for errors.• The area has a lot of deer, but very little water and not much open space.littlelittle3 ●●● S1 W1 adverb 1 → a little2 LITTLE/NOT MUCHnot much or only slightly The town has changed little over the years. The situation has improved very little.little known/understood etc (=not known about by many people) a little known corner of the worldlittle more/better etc (than something) His voice was little more than a whisper.3 → little did somebody know/realize/think etc4 → little by little5 → more than a little/not a littleGRAMMAR: Word orderYou use a little before an adjective: I was a little worried about her. ✗Don’t say: I was worried a little about her.Examples from the Corpus
little• Harrison felt little inclined to confide in Berthoud.• The 4. 3 cents were little noticed when they were added, and will be little noticed if removed.• The pattern of life here has changed little since I was a boy.very little• The rich supposedly think otherwise -- and manage to pay very little.• A younger person marrying and taking on a teenage family may know very little about adolescents.• In some places, we find very little distinction between male and female.• Supplying that, they have time for very little else.• Even with the few remaining assets, there is very little margin to work on.• A white spot on a yellow model gathered very little more response.• From that moment on I saw very little of Dean, and I was a little sorry too.• There is very little slack built into the system and usually not much tolerance for errors.Origin little1 Old English lytel 