- 1 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.
- 2 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. Word OriginOld English lȳtel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch luttel, German dialect lützel.Idioms
slowly; gradually Little by little the snow disappeared. His English is improving little by little.
Check pronunciation: little
