small
adjective uk/smɔːl/ us/smɑːl/
(LITTLE)
A1 小的；少的；矮小的
little in size or amount when compared with what is typical or average
a small dog/house/car/country 小狗／房子／汽车／国
I'd rather live in a small town than a big city. 我宁愿住在小城镇，也不住在大城市。
Would you like a large or small cola with your burger? 你的汉堡包要配大可乐还是小可乐？
Ella is the smallest girl in her class. 埃拉是她班上个头最小的女孩。
That jacket's too small for you. 那件夹克你穿太小了。
He's small for his age. 相对他的年龄来说，他个子小了些。
Only a small number of applicants are successful. 只有一小部分人申请成功了。
The number of women in parliament is pitifully (= extremely) small. 议会中女性的人数少得可怜。
Liqueurs are usually drunk in small quantities. 利口酒通常都是小口小口地喝。
- More examples
- We're having a small drinks party next Thursday.
- The apartments are very small, which is fine for one person.
- The company was still very small when I first joined.
- We spent our holidays in a small French town.
- The house has a large back garden, and a small front garden.
(YOUNG)
A1 年幼的，幼小的
A small child is a very young child that is older than a baby.
Taking care of small children can be very tiring. 照看幼儿会很累人。
- More examples
- They have two small children.
- A small child stood sullenly by her side.
- Having small children really restricts your social life.
- With four small children running around, the place is a madhouse.
- Is this film appropriate for small children?
(LIMITED ACTIVITY)
[ before noun ]小规模的
limited in the amount of an activity
The government should give more help to small businessmen (= people whose businesses are of a limited size). 政府应该给予小企业主更多的帮助。
Chris is a small eater so he won't want much. 克里斯饭量很小，所以他不会要太多。
If you can help us in a small way (= to a limited degree) it would be greatly appreciated. 如果您能帮我们一个小忙，我们将不胜感激。
(NOT IMPORTANT)
A2 不重要的；不会造成麻烦的
not very important or not likely to cause problems
She just made a couple of small mistakes in the test. 在考试中她只犯了一两个小错。
I have a small problem I would like to discuss with you. 我有件小事想和你商量一下。
(ASHAMED)
卑微的；微不足道的
ashamed or weak
Talking to her makes me feel small. 和她谈话让我感到自己很卑微。
He's always trying to make me look small in front of my boss. 他总是想方设法让我在老板面前显得无足轻重。
(LETTER SIZE)
[ before noun ]（字母）小写的
Small letters are not capital letters.
The poet e. e. cummings wrote his name with small letters, not capital letters. 诗人 e. e. cummings（卡明斯）用小写字母写自己的名字，而不用大写。
Idioms
grateful/thankful for small merciesidiom 为情况还过得去表示庆幸
If someone should be grateful/thankful for small mercies, they should be grateful for something because it is not as bad as it could have been
She wasn't badly hurt in the accident, so we're grateful for small mercies. 她在事故中没有受重伤，我们觉得这已经很让人庆幸了。
it's a small worldidiom saying 这世界真小；真有这等巧事；无巧不成书
said to show your surprise that people or events in different places are connected
You know my old science teacher! Well, it's a small world, isn't it? 原来你认识我以前的科学课老师！嘿，这真是太巧了，不是吗？
a small fortuneidiom informal 一大笔钱
a large amount of money
You'll have to spend a small fortune in legal fees if you decide to sue for compensation. 如果你决定索赔，要支付一大笔法律费用。
small wonderidiom 毫不奇怪
used to mean that something is not surprising
After five years with the company she hadn't been promoted - small wonder that she decided to quit her job. 在那家公司工作了5年，她都没有获得升职——难怪她决定辞职。
with a small "c", "d", etc.idiom （用来形容更普遍的或不那么极端的情况）
used to say something is more general or less extreme than the usual meaning
She is deeply conservative with a small "c" (= has traditional values, rather than being a member or supporter of the Conservative Party). 尽管不是保守党的成员，她却是一个非常保守的人。
Management is all about politics with a small "p". 管理尽管不完全是玩政治，但确实是一种权术。
small
adverb uk/smɔːl/ us/smɑːl/
小，不大
in a small size
The instructions are printed so small I can hardly read them. 说明书的字印刷得很小，我几乎无法看清。
small
noun uk/smɔːl/ us/smɑːl/
(BODY)
the small of your back 后腰部
the middle of the lower back
I have a pain in the small of my back. 我后腰疼。
(UNDERWEAR)
smalls[ plural ] UK old-fashioned informal （尤指正在洗或要洗的）内衣
underwear, especially when being washed or about to be washed
Do you have any smalls that need washing? 你有没有要洗的内衣？