little

(redirected from Littles)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia.

lit·tle

 (lĭt′l)
adj. lit·tler or less (lĕs) also less·er (lĕs′ər), lit·tlest or least (lēst)
1.
a. Small in size: a little dining room.
b. Small in quantity or extent: a little money; a little work on the side. See Synonyms at small.
2. Short in extent or duration; brief: There is little time left.
3. Unimportant; trivial: a little matter.
4. Narrow; petty: mean little comments; a little mind consumed with trivia.
5. Having scant power or influence; of minor status: just a little clerk in the records office.
6.
a. Being at an early stage of growth; young: a little child.
b. Younger or youngest. Used especially of a sibling: My little brother is leaving for college next week.
adv. less or lesser, least
1. Not much; scarcely: works long hours, sleeping little.
2. Not in the least; not at all: They little expected such a generous gift.
n.
1. A small quantity or amount: Give me a little.
2. Something much less than all: I know little of their history.
3. A short distance or time: a little down the road; waited a little.
Idioms:
a little
Somewhat; a bit: felt a little better.
little by little
By small degrees or increments; gradually.

[Middle English, from Old English lȳtel.]

lit′tle·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

little

(ˈlɪtəl)
determiner
1. (often preceded by a)
a. a small quantity, extent, or duration of: the little hope there is left; very little milk.
b. (as pronoun): save a little for me.
2. not much: little damage was done.
3. make little of See make of3
4. not a little
a. very
b. a lot
5. quite a little a considerable amount
6. think little of to have a low opinion of
adj
7. of small or less than average size
8. young: a little boy; our little ones.
9. endearingly familiar; dear: my husband's little ways.
10. contemptible, mean, or disagreeable: your filthy little mind.
11. (of a region or district) resembling another country or town in miniature: little Venice.
12. little game a person's secret intention or business: so that's his little game!.
13. no little considerable
adv
14. (usually preceded by a) in a small amount; to a small extent or degree; not a lot: to laugh a little.
15. (used preceding a verb) not at all, or hardly: he little realized his fate.
16. not much or often: we go there very little now.
17. little by little by small degrees
[Old English lӯtel; related to lӯr few, Old High German luzzil]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lit•tle

(ˈlɪt l)

adj. lit•tler less less•er, lit•tlest least, adj.
1. small in size; not big; tiny: a little desk in the corner of the room.
2. short in duration or extent; brief: a little while.
3. small in number: a little group of scientists.
4. small in amount or degree; not much: little hope.
5. of a certain amount; appreciable (usu. prec. by a): We're having a little difficulty.
6. being such on a small scale: little farmers.
7. younger or youngest: my little brother.
8. not strong, forceful, or loud; weak: a little voice.
9. minor; unimportant: life's little discomforts.
10. small in influence, position, affluence, etc.: tax reductions to help the little wage earner.
11. mean, narrow, or illiberal: a little mind.
12. endearingly small or so considered: Bless your little heart!
13. amusingly small or so considered: a funny little way of laughing.
14. contemptibly small, petty, mean, etc.: filthy little tricks.
adv.
15. not at all (used before a verb): He little knows what awaits him.
16. in only a small amount or degree; not much; slightly: a little known work of art; little better than before.
17. seldom; rarely; infrequently: We see each other very little.
n.
18. a small amount, quantity, or degree: They did little to make us comfortable.
19. a short distance: It's down the road a little.
20. a short time: Stay here for a little.
Idioms:
1. little by little, by small degrees; gradually.
2. not a little, to a great extent; very much; considerably.
[before 900; Middle English, Old English lȳtel, c. Old Saxon luttil, Old High German luzzil; akin to Old English lȳt minute]
lit•tlish (ˈlɪt l ɪʃ, ˈlɪt lɪʃ) adj.
lit′tle•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

little

a little
1. 'little' used as an adjective

Little is usually an adjective. You use it to talk about the size of something.

He took a little black book from his pocket.
2. 'a little' used as an adverb

A little is usually an adverb. You use it after a verb, or in front of an adjective or another adverb. It means 'to a small extent or degree'.

They get paid for it. Not much. Just a little.
The local football team is doing a little better.
The celebrations began a little earlier than expected.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'a little' in front of an adjective when the adjective comes in front of a noun. Don't say, for example, 'It was a little better result'. Say 'It was a slightly better result' or 'It was a somewhat better result'.

3. used in front of nouns

Little and a little are also used in front of nouns to talk about quantities. When they are used like this, they do not have the same meaning.

You use a little to show that you are talking about a small quantity or amount of something. When you use little without 'a', you are emphasizing that there is only a small quantity or amount of something.

So, for example, if you say 'I have a little money', you are saying that you have some money. However, if you say 'I have little money', you mean that you do not have enough money.

I had made a little progress.
It is clear that little progress was made.
4. used as pronouns

Little and a little can be used in similar ways as pronouns.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time.
Little has changed.
5. 'not much'

In conversation and in less formal writing, people do not usually use 'little' without 'a'. Instead they use not much. For example, instead of saying 'I have little money', they say 'I haven't got much money' or 'I don't have much money'.

I haven't got much appetite.
We don't have much time.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'little' or 'a little' when you are talking about a small number of people or things. Don't say, for example, 'She has a little hens'. Say 'She has a few hens'. Similarly, don't say 'Little people attended his lectures'. Say 'Few people attended his lectures', or 'Not many people attended his lectures'.


small

little

Small and little are both used to say that someone or something is not large. There are some important differences in the ways these words are used.

1. position in clause

Small can be used in front of a noun, or after a verb such as be.

They escaped in small boats.
She is small for her age.

Little is normally used only in front of nouns. You can talk about 'a little town', but you do not say 'The town is little'.

She bought a little table with a glass top.
I picked up a little piece of rock.
2. used with grading adverbs

You can use words like quite and rather in front of small.

Quite small changes in climate can have enormous effects.
She cut me a rather small piece of cake.

Don't use these words in front of 'little'.

You can use very and too in front of small.

The trees are full of very small birds.
They are living in houses which are too small.

'Very' or 'too' are not usually used in front of little when it is an adjective, except when you are talking about a young child. You don't say, for example, 'I have a very little car', but you can say 'She was a very little girl.'

3. comparatives and superlatives

Small has the comparative and superlative forms smaller and smallest.

His apartment is smaller than his other place.
She rented the smallest car she could.

The comparative form littler and the superlative form littlest are mostly used in spoken English and to talk about young children.

The littler kids had been sent to bed.
You used to be the littlest boy in the school.
4. used with other adjectives

You can use other adjectives in front of little.

They gave me a funny little hat.
She was a pretty little girl.

Be Careful!
You don't normally use other adjectives in front of 'small'.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.little - a small amount or durationlittle - a small amount or duration; "he accepted the little they gave him"
small indefinite amount, small indefinite quantity - an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude
Adj.1.little - limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a little dining room"; "a little house"; "a small car"; "a little (or small) group"
big, large - above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent; "a large city"; "set out for the big city"; "a large sum"; "a big (or large) barn"; "a large family"; "big businesses"; "a big expenditure"; "a large number of newspapers"; "a big group of scientists"; "large areas of the world"
2.little - (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with `a') at least some; "little rain fell in May"; "gave it little thought"; "little time is left"; "we still have little money"; "a little hope remained"; "there's slight chance that it will work"; "there's a slight chance it will work"
less - (comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree; "of less importance"; "less time to spend with the family"; "a shower uses less water"; "less than three years old"
much - (quantifier used with mass nouns) great in quantity or degree or extent; "not much rain"; "much affection"; "much grain is in storage"
3.little - (of children and animals) young, immature; "what a big little boy you are"; "small children"
young, immature - (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth; "young people"
4.little - (informal) small and of little importance; "a fiddling sum of money"; "a footling gesture"; "our worries are lilliputian compared with those of countries that are at war"; "a little (or small) matter"; "a dispute over niggling details"; "limited to petty enterprises"; "piffling efforts"; "giving a police officer a free meal may be against the law, but it seems to be a picayune infraction"
colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
unimportant - not important; "a relatively unimportant feature of the system"; "the question seems unimportant"
5.little - (of a voice) faint; "a little voice"; "a still small voice"
soft - (of sound) relatively low in volume; "soft voices"; "soft music"
6.little - low in stature; not tall; "he was short and stocky"; "short in stature"; "a short smokestack"; "a little man"
low - literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension; "low ceilings"; "low clouds"; "low hills"; "the sun is low"; "low furniture"; "a low bow"
7.little - lowercase; "little a"; "small a"; "e.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters"
lowercase - relating to small (not capitalized) letters that were kept in the lower half of a compositor's type case; "lowercase letters; a and b and c etc"
8.little - small in a way that arouses feelings (of tenderness or its opposite depending on the context); "a nice little job"; "bless your little heart"; "my dear little mother"; "a sweet little deal"; "I'm tired of your petty little schemes"; "filthy little tricks"; "what a nasty little situation"
emotional - of more than usual emotion; "his behavior was highly emotional"
Adv.1.little - not much; "he talked little about his family"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

little

determiner
1. not much, small, insufficient, scant, meagre, sparse, skimpy, measly, hardly any I had little money and little free time.
not much much, ample, abundant, plentiful
adjective
1. small, minute, short, tiny, mini, wee, compact, miniature, dwarf, slender, diminutive, petite, dainty, elfin, bijou, infinitesimal, teeny-weeny, Lilliputian, munchkin (informal, chiefly U.S.), teensy-weensy, pygmy or pigmy We sat round a little table.
small great, big, large, huge, giant, enormous, considerable, immense, colossal, ginormous (informal)
2. young, small, junior, infant, immature, undeveloped, babyish When I was little, I was hyperactive.
3. unimportant, minor, petty, trivial, trifling, insignificant, negligible, paltry, inconsiderable He found himself getting angry over little things.
unimportant important, serious, major, significant, grave, momentous
4. short, brief, fleeting, short-lived, passing, hasty, momentary She stood up quickly, giving a little cry of astonishment.
short long
5. mean, base, cheap, petty, narrow-minded, small-minded, illiberal I won't play your little mind-games.
adverb
1. hardly, barely, not quite, not much, only just, scarcely On the way back they spoke very little.
hardly much
2. rarely, seldom, scarcely, not often, infrequently, hardly ever We go there very little nowadays.
rarely much, always
noun
1. bit, touch, spot, trace, hint, dash, particle, fragment, pinch, small amount, dab, trifle, tad (informal, chiefly U.S.), snippet, speck, modicum They don't get paid much for it. Just a little.
bit much, lot
a little to a small extent, slightly, to some extent, to a certain extent, to a small degree I'm getting a little tired of having to correct your mistakes.
little by little gradually, slowly, progressively, step by step, piecemeal, bit by bit, imperceptibly, by degrees Little by little, he was becoming weaker.
Quotations
"Little things affect little minds" [Benjamin Disraeli Sybil]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

little

adjective
1. Notably below average in amount, size, or scope:
3. Not broad or elevated in scope or understanding:
4. Not yet large in size because of incomplete growth:
adverb
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إلى درَجَةٍ قَليلَهصَغيرصَغِيرٌقَليلقَليل الأهَميَّه
malýmálonedůležitývůbec ne
lillekun lidtlidt
pisut
pienipikku-vähänhieman
छोटाथोड़ा
malen
kevesetkevéssékicsikis
sedikit
alls ekkilítiîlítiî, fátt eittlítilllítt, lítiî
小さい
작은
mažasmenkaine ką suprastinedidelispamažu
mazmazsnedaudznelielsnemaz
puţin
majhenmalonekolikorahlo
liten
เล็ก
تھوڑاچھوٹا
nhỏ

little

1 [ˈlɪtl]
A. ADJ
1. (= small) → pequeño, chico (LAm)
a little houseuna casa pequeña or (LAm) chica
a little bookun libro pequeño or (LAm) chico
she had a little girl yesterdayayer tuvo una niñita
when I was littlecuando era pequeña, de pequeña
the little ones (= children) → los pequeños
2. (= short) → corto
a little walkun paseo corto
we went for a little holidaynos fuimos para unas vacaciones cortitas
3. (= diminutive) (in cpds) → -ito
a little book/boat/pieceun librito/barquito/trocito
a little houseuna casita
a little girluna niñita, una chiquita
a little fishun pececillo, un pececito
a little sipun sorbito
the little woman (hum) (= wife) → la costilla, la parienta (Sp)
it's the little man who suffers (= small trader) → el pequeño comerciante es el que sale perdiendo
it's just a little somethingno es más que una cosita de poco valor
4. (= younger) her little brothersu hermano menor, su hermanito
B. CPD little end N (Brit) (Aut) → pie m de biela
Little Englander N (Brit) (Hist) en el siglo XIX, persona con ideas opuestas a la ampliación del imperio británico; (= chauvinist) → patriotero/a m/f; (= anti-European) → anti-europeoísta mf
little finger Ndedo m meñique, meñique m
the little folk NPL = the little people the little people NPL (Irl) (= fairies) → los duendecillos
little toe Ndedo m pequeño del pie

little

2 [ˈlɪtl] (less (compar) (least (superl)))
A. PRON
1. (= not much) → poco
he knows littlesabe poco
to see/do littlever/hacer poco
there was little we could doapenas había nada que hacer
he had little to saypoco fue lo que tenía que decir
that has little to do with it!¡eso tiene poco que ver!
as little as £55 libras, nada más
there's very little leftqueda muy poco
to make little of sth (= play down) → quitarle importancia a algo; (= fail to exploit) → desaprovechar algo
they made little of loading the huge boxes (= accomplish easily) → cargaron las enormes cajas como si nada
little of what he says is truepoco de lo que dice es verdad
little or nothingpoco o nada
to spend little or nothinggastar poco o nada
he lost weight because he ate so littleadelgazó porque comía muy poco
I know too little about him to have an opinionno lo conozco lo suficiente para poder opinar
too little too latemuy poco y muy tarde
2. (= some) give me a littledame un poco
I had a little of everythingcomí un poco de todo
little by littlepoco a poco
however little you give, we'll be gratefulagradeceremos su donativo, por pequeño que sea
a little less/more milkun poco menos/más de leche
a little more slowlyun poco más despacio
the little I have seen is excellentlo poco que he visto me ha parecido excelente
I did what little I couldhice lo poco que pude
see also every 1
3. (= short time) they'll have to wait a littletendrán que esperar un poco
for a littleun rato, durante un rato
B. ADJ
1. (= not much) → poco
there is little hope of finding them alivehay pocas esperanzas de encontrarlos con vida
with little difficultysin problema or dificultad
so much to do, so little timetanto que hacer y en tan poco tiempo
I have so little time for readingtengo muy poco tiempo para leer
he gave me too little moneyme dio poquísimo dinero
I have very little moneytengo muy poco dinero
2. (= some) a little wineun poco de vino
I speak a little Spanishhablo un poco de español
a little bit (of)un poquito (de)
with no little troublecon bastante dificultad, con no poca dificultad
3. (= short)
for a little time or whileun ratito
C. ADV
1. (= not much) → poco
he reads littlelee poco
they spoke very little on the way homehablaron muy poco de camino para casa
try to move as little as possibleintenta moverte lo menos posible
(as) little as I like him, I must admit thataunque me gusta muy poco, debo admitir que ...
a little known factun hecho poco conocido
little more thanpoco más que
little more than a month agohace poco más de un mes
a little read bookun libro poco leído, un libro que se lee poco
it's little short of a miraclees casi un milagro
2. (= somewhat) → algo
we were a little surprised/happiernos quedamos algo sorprendidos/más contentos
a little betterun poco mejor, algo mejor
a little less/more thanun poco menos/más que ...
we were not a little worriednos inquietamos bastante, quedamos muy inquietos
3. (= not at all) little does he know that ...; he little knows thatno tiene la menor idea de que ...
4. (= rarely) → poco
I watch television very little nowadaysahora veo la televisión muy poco
it occurs very little in small companiesraramente ocurre or es raro que ocurra en empresas pequeñas
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

little

[ˈlɪtəl]
adj
(= small) → petit(e)
(= young) → petit(e)
When I was little I was hyper-active → Quand j'étais petit, j'étais hyperactif.
her little brother Kevin → son petit frère Kevin
a little girl → une petite fille
(= short) for a little while → pendant un petit moment
a little while longer → un petit peu plus longtemps
a little way → une petite distance
Just go down the road a little way → Descendez la rue sur une petite distance.
(= unimportant) → petit(e)
a few little details → quelques petits détails
(= not much) [time, money, hope] → peu de
We've little money → Nous avons peu d'argent.
with little difficulty → sans trop de difficulté
very little [time, money, hope] → très peu de
We've got very little time → Nous avons très peu de temps.
(= some) a little (+ noun)un peu de
a little milk → un peu de lait
(= slightly) a little bit (+ adj, adv)un petit peu
a little bit further → un petit peu plus loin
He was a little bit afraid of his father's reaction → Il avait un petit peu peur de la réaction de son père.
advpeu
as little as possible → le moins possible
little by little → petit à petit, peu à peu
pron
(= not much) → peu de choses
Little is known about his childhood → On sait peu de choses sur son enfance.
very little → très peu de choses
to make little of → faire peu de cas de
(= a bit) a little → un peu
How much would you like? - Just a little → Combien en voulez-vous? - Juste un peu.
Try to persuade her to eat a little → Essayez de la persuader de manger un peu.
a little of → un peu de
Pour a little of the sauce over the chicken → Verser un peu de la sauce sur le poulet.little finger npetit doigt mlittle-known [ˌlɪtəlˈnəʊn] adjpeu connu(e)Little League n (US) championnat de baseball pour les moins de 12 anslittle toe npetit orteil m
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

little

adjklein; a little houseein Häuschen nt, → ein kleines Haus; a funny little noseein lustiges (kleines) Näschen; the little onesdie Kleinen pl; a nice little profitein hübscher Gewinn; the little people or folkdie Elfen; little green men (inf)kleine grüne Männchen pl (inf); he will have his little jokeer will auch einmal ein Witzchen machen; to worry about little thingssich (dat)über Kleinigkeiten Gedanken machen; he has a little minder ist ein Kleingeist; little things please little mindsso kann man auch mit kleinen Sachen Kindern eine Freude machen; a little while agovor Kurzem, vor kurzer Zeit; it’s only a little while till I …es ist nicht mehr lange, bis ich …; in a little whilebald
adv, n
wenig; of little importance/interestvon geringer Bedeutung/geringem Interesse; he knows little Latin and less Greeker kann (nur) wenig Latein und noch weniger Griechisch; little better thankaum besser als; little more than a month agovor kaum einem Monat; little short offast schon, beinahe; little did I think that …ich hätte kaum gedacht, dass …; little does he know that …er hat keine Ahnung, dass …; they little realize what will happen to themsie sind sich (dat)wohl kaum darüber im Klaren, was mit ihnen geschehen wird; to think little of somebody/somethingnicht viel von jdm/etw halten; I walk as little as possibleich laufe so wenig wie möglich; to spend little or nothingso gut wie (gar) nichts ausgeben; every little helpsKleinvieh macht auch Mist (Prov); please donate, every little helpsauch die kleinste Spende hilft; he had little to sayer hatte nicht viel zu sagen; I see very little of her nowadaysich sehe sie in letzter Zeit sehr selten; there was little we could dowir konnten nicht viel tun; the little of his book that I have readdas wenige or bisschen, was ich von seinem Buch gelesen habe; she did what little she couldsie tat das wenige, das sie tun konnte; little by littlenach und nach; little by little, he dragged himself across the roomStückchen für Stückchen schleppte er sich durch das Zimmer; to make little of somethingetw herunterspielen or bagatellisieren; I could make little of this bookich konnte mit diesem Buch nicht viel anfangen
a littleein wenig, ein bisschen; a little (bit) hotetwas or ein bisschen heiß; a little (bit) betteretwas or ein wenig besser; with a little effortmit etwas Anstrengung; I’ll give you a little adviceich gebe dir einen kleinen Tipp; a little after fivekurz nach fünf; we were not a little worriedwir waren recht besorgt; I was not a little surprisedich war einigermaßen überrascht; we walked on for a littlewir liefen noch ein bisschen or Stück or Weilchen weiter; after a littlenach einer Weile; for a littlefür ein Weilchen

little

:
little auk
Little Englander
n (Brit: = anti-European) europafeindlich eingestellter Engländer; (Hist) Gegner des Imperialismus im 19. Jahrhundert, → Isolationist(in) m(f)
Little League
n (US Sport) Baseball-Liga für Kinder unter 12 Jahren
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

little

1 [ˈlɪtl] adj
a. (small, gen) → piccolo/a
a little chair → una seggiolina
a little cup → una tazzina
my little brother → il mio fratellino
a little girl → una bambina
little finger → mignolo
poor little thing! → poverino!
b. (short) → breve
we went for a little ride/walk → siamo andati a fare un giretto/una passeggiatina
for a little while → per un po'
it's only a little way to the station → la stazione non è lontana
a little holiday → una breve vacanza

little

2 [ˈlɪtl] (less (comp) (least (superl)))
1. adj & pron (not much) → poco/a; (some) → un poco or un po' di
a little milk → un po' di latte
little money → pochi soldi
with little difficulty → senza fatica or difficoltà
to see/do little → non vedere/fare molto, vedere/fare molto poco
we did what little we could → abbiamo fatto quel poco che abbiamo potuto
little or nothing → poco o nulla
that has little to do with it! → questo c'entra ben poco!
as little as £5 → soltanto 5 sterline
to make little of sth (fail to understand) → capire poco di qc (belittle) → tenere qc in poco conto, dare poca importanza a qc
little by little → poco a poco
2. adv
a. a littleun po'
a little too big → un po' troppo grande
a little longer → un po' più a lungo
we were a little surprised → eravamo un po' sorpresi
a little more milk → un po' più di latte
a little more → ancora un po'
b. (not much) a little-known factun fatto poco noto
it's little better → non va molto meglio
as little as possible → il meno possibile
little more than a month ago → appena più di un mese fa
I like it as little as you do → non mi piace più di quanto piaccia a te
little does he know that ... → quello di cui non si rende conto è che...
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

little

(ˈlitl) adjective
1. small in size. He is only a little boy; when she was little (= a child).
2. small in amount; not much. He has little knowledge of the difficulties involved.
3. not important. I did not expect her to make a fuss about such a little thing.
pronoun
(only) a small amount. He knows little of the real world.
adverb
1. not much. I go out little nowadays.
2. only to a small degree. a little-known fact.
3. not at all. He little knows how ill he is.
a little
1. a short time or distance. Move a little to the right!
2. a small quantity of something. He has a little money to spare; 'Is there any soup left?' `Yes, a little.'
3. slightly. She was a little frightened.
little by little
gradually. Little by little we began to get to know him.
make little of
1. to treat as unimportant etc. He made little of his injuries.
2. not to be able to understand. I could make little of his instructions.

little means `not much': You have little reason to boast .
a little means `some', `a small quantity': There's a little milk left .
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

little

صَغِيرٌ malý lille klein μικρός pequeño pieni petit malen piccolo 小さい 작은 klein liten mały pequeno маленький liten เล็ก küçük nhỏ 小的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

little

a. [size] pequeño-a; [quantity] poco, muy poco, un poquito;
___ by ___poco a poco.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

little

adj (comp less; super least) (size) pequeño, chico; (quantity, degree) poco; a little tumor..un tumor pequeño… a little milk..un poco de leche…little time..poco tiempo; — brother (fam) hermano menor; — sister (fam) hermana menor; adv poco; a little sunburned..un poco quemado… She eats little.. Ella come poco; n poco; — by — poco a poco
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
In order to distinguish the one from the other, the one who had four horses was called Big Klaus, and the one who had only one horse, Little Klaus.
The whole week through Little Klaus had to plough for Big Klaus, and lend him his one horse; then Big Klaus lent him his four horses, but only once a week, and that was on Sunday.
Arthur Clennam would have been little disposed to linger in bed, though his bed had been in a more private situation, and less affected by the raking out of yesterday's fire, the kindling of to- day's under the collegiate boiler, the filling of that Spartan vessel at the pump, the sweeping and sawdusting of the common room, and other such preparations.
Nor was it relieved by any glimpse of the little creature who had brought him there.
His mother Radha Pyari,--Radha the darling,--who had been caught in the same drive with Kala Nag, told him, before his little milk tusks had dropped out, that elephants who were afraid always got hurt.
"He is afraid of me also," said Little Toomai, standing up to his full height of four feet, with only one rag upon him.
AS soon as they had passed, little Benjamin Bunny slid down into the road, and set off--with a hop, skip and a jump--to call upon his relations, who lived in the wood at the back of Mr.
LITTLE Benjamin did not very much want to see his Aunt.
But what became of little Gerda when Kay did not return?
The elder child was a little girl, whom, because she was of a tender and modest disposition, and was thought to be very beautiful, her parents, and other people who were familiar with her, used to call Violet.
The little ducks were swimming about in the pond, looking just like a lot of yellow canaries, and their mother, who was pure white with real red legs, was trying to teach them how to stand on their heads in the water.
DOWN among the grass and fragrant clover lay little Eva by the brook-side, watching the bright waves, as they went singing by under the drooping flowers that grew on its banks.