Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use small in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, adverb, noun

Small means not large or big; insignificant; few in number. Example: “A small serving of ice cream.”

Examples of small by meaning

adjectiveNot large or big; insignificant; few in number.

  • A small serving of ice cream.
  • A small group.
  • Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist.2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, archived from the original on 25 Nov 2020, page 70

adjectiveHumiliated or insignificant.

  • The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small.

adjectiveHaving a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.

  • Though over six feet tall, the man was very small and ashamed to undress.

adjectiveYoung, as a child.

  • Remember when the children were small?

adjectiveMinuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.

  • Catholic with a small "c", of course."1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 584

adjectiveNot prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.

  • a small space of time

adjectiveThat is small (the manufactured size).

  • I'll have a small coffee, thanks.

adverbIn a small fashion.

  • Don't write very small!

More sentences with small

  • The only standard brassiere cup size smaller than the A cup is the AA cup.From the entry a
  • He started his career merchandising in a small clothing store chain.From the entry merchandise
  • The crop output this year has been comparatively small, owing to the deficit in rainfall.From the entry deficit
  • There is a small offset between the switch and the indicator which some users found confusing.From the entry offset
  • The assassin liked to make a clean kill, and thus favored small arms over explosives.From the entry kill
  • He's in the garden hanging his smalls on the washing line.From the entry smalls
  • I couldn't garage this big a car; show me something smaller.From the entry this
  • As well as sea tides, there are much smaller land tides.From the entry tide
  • The mix should include a good selection of large, medium, and small ag.From the entry ag
  • A small tear is easy to mend, if it is on the seam.From the entry tear
  • I entered the room, at the far end of which was a small table.From the entry which
  • The small shirt doesn't fit me, so I'll buy the medium size.From the entry fit
  • It was the kind of shop you used to get in most small towns.From the entry get
  • The house had a small yard of about six rods in size.From the entry rod
  • The pioneers survived by eating the small game they could get: rabbits, squirrels and occasionally a raccoon.From the entry rabbit
  • A small publishing house would have a contract with an independent fulfillment house.From the entry house
  • The room was small, but it had good symmetry and flow.From the entry flow
  • Drill a small hole to start the screw in the right direction.From the entry drill
  • The leaves covering the forest floor provide many hiding-places for small animals.From the entry floor
  • Oil may be used as an additive in gasoline to improve the lubrication of a small engine.From the entry additive
  • Despite his success, the comedian liked to put in appearances at some of the smaller venues.From the entry put in
  • You wouldn't think such a small person could put away so much food.From the entry put away
  • The new Ford Fiesta is set to be best in the 'small family' class.From the entry class
  • The province's traditional slash-and-burn agriculture was only sustainable with a much smaller population.From the entry slash
  • He worked into the wee small hours to get everything perfect for the opening day.From the entry wee small hours
  • Hidden in the mountains is a small secluded village that not many people know of.From the entry secluded
  • We wanted to sell a turnkey plant, but they jobbed out the contract to small firms.From the entry job
  • By acuteness of feeling, we perceive small objects or slight impressions.From the entry acuteness
  • It was a smart move to bring on a tall striker to play against the smaller defenders.From the entry move
  • The patient had a small bowel obstruction and there was no appearance until after the obstruction resolved.From the entry appearance

Meaning of small

  1. adjective Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
  2. adjective Humiliated or insignificant.
  3. adjective Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.

Full definition of small

Questions about small in a sentence

How do you use small in a sentence?
Small is used as an adjective, adverb and noun. For example: “A small serving of ice cream.”
What is a short sentence with small?
“A small group.”
What does small mean?
Small means not large or big; insignificant; few in number.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: small (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use small in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/small. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.