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Showing results for small time. Search instead for small-timer.
Synonyms

small time

1 American  

noun

  1. a circuit of minor theaters giving three or more shows daily.

small-time 2 American  
[smawl-tahym] / ˈsmɔlˈtaɪm /

adjective

  1. of modest or insignificant size, importance, or influence.

    a small-time politician.
small-time British  

adjective

  1. informal insignificant; minor

    a small-time criminal
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
small time Idioms  

  1. A modest or minor level of achievement, as in Her success took her out of the small time to prime-time television. This expression was originally used in vaudeville for second-rate theaters and productions. [Early 1900s] Also see big time, def. 2.

Other Word Forms

  • small-timer noun

Etymology

Origin of small time1

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Origin of small-time2

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

The challenge is tied to the interval between computational steps: to capture rapid events such as supernova evolution, the simulation must advance in very small time increments.

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2025

In the local vernacular, it has all been a bit small time.

From BBC • May 29, 2024

Ah, but back to the small time, the part time, the pure of heart, the candidates without fundraising consultants.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023

“As time passed, we realized that when we had that small time to rest, you get a lot of positivity from taking that risk,” Jongyeon said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2023

But it isn’t silly, this preoccupation with small time units.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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.