How to Use small in a Sentence

small

1 of 2 adjective
Definition of smallnext
Synonyms for smallnext
  • They live in a small house.
  • The movie was a small success.
  • The toy is small enough to fit in my pocket.
  • She moved to a smaller town.
  • There are still a few small details we have to deal with.
  • This room is a little smaller than that one.
  • The change had only a small impact on the community.
  • It's only a small mistake.
  • Thus the left wheel of the train was smaller than the right wheel of the train.
    — Svenja Lohner, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2019
  • The white shirt has brown stripes on the sleeves and a small Browns logo.
    — Hannah Drown, cleveland, 6 July 2020
  • Stroud knows that even if the window is small, the throw will be there.
    — Stephen Means, cleveland, 10 Oct. 2021
  • The package came in a small black box, covered in tape.
    — Alana Semuels, The Atlantic, 22 May 2018
  • Add a small amount of cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites.
    — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Dec. 2022
  • My style is way worse than that of a small child, and 2.
    — Ruby Buddemeyer, Marie Claire, 15 June 2018
  • The numbers, big or small, gave her some peace of mind.
    — Michael Errigo, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2020
  • Yet this is only a small part of what a welfare state does.
    — The Economist, 12 July 2018
  • The litmus test: was the bathroom too small to close the door behind her?
    — Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 16 Sep. 2022
  • Both chicks are small, fluffy and hang out with their parents.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 27 July 2019
  • This is very small heron that lives hidden in cattails and reeds.
    — Jacob Job, Scientific American, 16 July 2021
  • Williams went small for a noticeable stretch in the finals.
    — Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 12 Dec. 2021
  • Bring a small saucepan of water deep enough to cover two eggs to a boil over high heat.
    — G. Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Buy small amounts of a variety of nuts and toss three or four kinds into the bowl.
    — Ann Maloney, NOLA.com, 8 May 2018
  • Barnard’s star is also a very small and dim type of star known as a red dwarf.
    — Loren Grush, The Verge, 14 Nov. 2018
  • This is because the roots are just beginning to grow, and the plant is still small.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 29 Apr. 2023
  • Notice the small details in Sansa's sleeves and the wolf stole around her neck.
    — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 20 May 2019
  • Take this time to cherish any small blessings from the universe.
    — Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 18 Sep. 2021
  • But bringing these tools to human brains is no small feat.
    — Celia Ford, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2023
  • Her audience is small, but the freakout over the news is huge.
    — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, 27 Feb. 2018
  • An emoji is a very small graphic, meant to be read along with text.
    — Cleo Levin, Slate Magazine, 24 Oct. 2017
  • Most of these districts are small and have only one or two school sites.
    — Ricardo Cano, azcentral, 20 Apr. 2018
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small

2 of 2 noun
  • These shirts are all smalls.
  • Then place the right hand along the small of your back and open up the right shoulder even more.
    — Stephanie Mansour, CNN, 22 Dec. 2020
  • The big are getting bigger, and the small are struggling.
    — Laia Garcia-Furtado, Vogue, 22 June 2023
  • Plus sizes and curvy fits sat alongside smalls and slim fits.
    — Khadeeja Safdar, WSJ, 27 Aug. 2018
  • Bring the other hand to the small of your back with your palm up, or to the back of your neck with the palm down.
    — Amanda Loudin, Outside Online, 16 Dec. 2019
  • Inmates wear drug dispensers at the small of their back.
    — Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 15 June 2022
  • His hand went to the small of my back, tracing the space just above my tailbone.
    — Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 12 May 2022
  • Finish each tasty tree with a small for a pine needle look.
    — Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2021
  • One thing that works to discourage ants is to hang a small can between the hook on the eaves and the feeder.
    — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 27 May 2022
  • Keep the left palm pressing into the earth or deepen the twist by taking the left hand to the small of your back.
    — Kelly Dinardo New York Times, Star Tribune, 23 Oct. 2020
  • The revolver was designed to be easily concealed on the small of his back.
    — Les Payne, The New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2020
  • In fact, even the big guys are jumping on the small-is-mighty bandwagon.
    — Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 11 June 2022
  • If not, just be prepared to take the smalls out a minute or two before the bigs to avoid overcooking.
    — Dawn Perry, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020
  • Now, brush aside your overcoat and tuck the object snugly into the waist of your pants at the small of your back.
    — Michael Finkel, Time, 14 June 2023
  • The baby’s head was creating intense pressure in the small of her back.
    — New York Times, 3 May 2022
  • Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged, and your hands placed one on top the other at the small of your back.
    — Jenny McCoy, SELF, 21 Feb. 2022
  • The victim told police one man placed what felt like a gun in the small of his back while the second offender took the wallet from his back pocket.
    — chicagotribune.com, 9 Aug. 2021
  • Cary pressed on, his fanny pack and its contents jabbing the small of his back, but encountered more signs.
    — Thomas McGuane, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2021
  • Jenner went without any accessories except a small over the shoulder black bag.
    — Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 9 Oct. 2022
  • The vest falls right at the waist, and the detachable five-layer foam seat flips up and securely out of the way at the small of the back for a no-bulk design.
    — Justin Park, Popular Mechanics, 25 May 2023
  • Evoking a soft romance, her softly rippled waves fell down past the small of her back to elegant effect.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 2 May 2022
  • At one point, the pair leaned in close for a kiss, with Kinnaman wrapping an arm around his fiancée and placing it on the small of her back.
    — Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, 3 Aug. 2021
  • All of these are delivered through a pack surgically implanted in the small of the prisoners’ backs.
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 16 June 2022
  • Later, a female worker came up behind her and put her hand on the small of Barraza’s back and asked her a question.
    — Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2022
  • Is Keanu intentionally not touching women's waists and the smalls of their backs?
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 13 June 2019
  • Millions of city residents line up every morning in their neighborhoods to fill smalls pots of water from the water tankers provided by the state.
    — Swati Gupta, CNN, 12 July 2019
  • Models barely wore makeup, if any at all, and hair was left imperfect and tousled; some were given waves down to the smalls of their backs.
    — Kevin Leblanc, ELLE, 14 Feb. 2023
  • The Suns can be tempted at some point to give up Jackson, an athletic small forward who would help the Cavs.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, 3 Aug. 2017
  • There's nothing magical about the sweat patches already forming at the small of my back and under my arms, however.
    — Ew Staff, EW.com, 6 May 2021
  • Which of the three groups (normals, smalls, Epi2s) will be most successful?
    — Quanta Magazine, 2 June 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'small.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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