a little
Idioms-
A small amount, as in Will you have some more meat? Yes, just a little . [Early 1400s]
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Somewhat or rather, slightly, as in I am a little annoyed with Harry . [Late 1300s] For a synonym, see a bit .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I know my phone says it isn’t as hot as it was yesterday but maybe it was rocking out with Jack White that made us all a little more sweaty.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
While their top-flight status is far from guaranteed despite the win, what it does is allow Leeds to breathe a little easier while piling the pressure on fellow strugglers Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Stacks of wheat straws and corn stalks separated my village from the fields, where the growth was always a little sparser than we wanted it to be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
Things are improving, but investors may have gotten a little ahead of themselves.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
We celebrated my fifty-first birthday with a little party in the de Vrieses’ alcove home.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
