1. 小的，少的　 not large in size, degree, number, value, etc.
2. A 年幼的，幼小的　 young
3. A 小规模的，小范围的　 not doing things on a large scale
4. 不重要的，微不足道的，微小的　 unimportant; trivial; slight
5. A 小气的，心胸狭窄的　 having a mean and petty attitude

　～ animal　小动物
　～ arms　轻武器
　～ audience　少数听众
　～ beer　微不足道的人〔东西〕
　～ businesses　小公司
　～ change　零钱，小额硬币
　～ children　幼儿
　～ company　小公司
　～ enterprise　小企业
　～ farmer　小农场主
　～ fault　小错
　～ fortune　一大笔钱
　～ hours　凌晨时分
　～ house　小房子
　～ inconvenience　没造成什么不便
　～ intestine　小肠
　～ job　低微的工作
　～ man　矮人
　～ matter　小事
　～ mistake　小小的错误
　～ number　数量小
　～ part　一个小角色
　～ room　一间小屋
　～ screen　小银幕
　～ shopkeeper　小店主
　～ smile　微笑
　～ talk　闲聊
　～ town　小镇
　～ trader　小商人
　surprisingly ～　惊人地小
　too ～　太小
　～ for the age　按年龄说太小
　～ in number　数量小

　The small room is thick with audience.　小房间坐满听众。
　People in far northern countries sometimes form small houses out of bricks of ice.　住在极北部国家的人有时用冰块建造小房子。
　The story took place in a faraway small village.　这故事发生在很远的一个小村庄里。
　The pupils were formed into four small groups.　小学生被分成四个小组。
　The sturdy footbridge would easily support the weight of a small truck.　这座结实的小桥完全可以承受一辆小卡车的重量。
　The small pocket dictionary was expanded into a full-sized one.　那本袖珍词典已扩展成为一本大型词典。
　In sampling, we choose a small number of items which we think are typical of the whole and examine the sample.　在采样时，我们选择少量我们认为是代表整体的东西，并对这个样本进行研究。
　The bad weather is responsible for the small attendance.　天气恶劣是到场人数不多的原因。
　There was only a small number of people there.　那儿只有少数的人。
　A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.　这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
　Would a small child know about it?　小孩能懂这事吗?
　I lived in the countryside when I was small.　我小时候住在乡下。
　A mouse is a small animal.　老鼠是一种小动物。
　You should not be so fearful of those small flying insects. They are not harmful.　你不必如此害怕那些小飞虫，它们是无害的。
　My father was a small shopkeeper.　我父亲是小业主。
　He is a small businessman.　他是个小商人。
　Only a small man would behave so badly.　只有卑鄙的人其行为才会如此恶劣。
　He is a man of no small curiosity.　他是一个有强烈好奇心的人。
　Don't bother him with that small matter.　那样的小事，别去麻烦他了。
　There are times when even the smallest mistake will make him lose his rag.　有时候甚至小小的错误也会使得他大发脾气。
　There are only small differences between the two translations.　这两种译本间只有细微的区别。
　They took their seats at the small round table.　他们在一张小圆桌旁坐了下来。
　His father is a weak small spare old man.　他父亲是一个瘦弱的小老头儿。
　He runs a small retail shop.　他开了一间小的零售店。
　A snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.　蜗牛是一种小型的软体草食动物。
　My influence over her is small, so she won't do as I say.　我对她起不了多大的影响，她不会按我的话去做的。
　Our income has got smaller, so we must be realistic and give up our car.　我们的收入减少了，所以我们得面对现实，把车卖掉。
　He is small but sturdy.　他个子小但健壮。
　Her features are small and regular.　她的容貌小巧端正。
　This hat is too small for me.　这顶帽子我戴太小。
　The boy is small for his age.　就年龄来说这男孩的个子小了些。
　The pitch is too small to play football on.　球场太小了，没法踢足球。
　The hat is too small to serve.　这个帽子太小了，不适用。
　It is small of her to wish for payment.　她还希望得到报酬，真小气。
　He criticized her in front of her colleagues and made her face very small.　他当着她同事的面批评了她，使她感到非常丢脸。

 ♣ a small fortune
　许多钱　a lot of money
　The car cost me a small fortune.　这辆车花了我很多钱。
　He has spent a small fortune on improving his property.　他花了一大笔钱来改善他的房产。
 ♣ (be) grateful〔thankful〕 for small mercies
　庆幸已很糟糕的情况并未更糟　relieved that a bad situation is not worse
　It may be cold but it's not raining—let's be thankful for small mercies.　尽管天气很冷，但没有下雨——该知足了。
　I suppose we ought to be thankful for small mercies. A 2% increase in the money we receive may be less than the rate of inflation, but it's better than having our grant cut altogether.　我们庆幸自己还有小小的好处。我们得到的钱增加了2%，也许这少于通货膨胀率，但那比补助金全部削减要好多了。
 ♣ great and small
　贫富强弱，贵贱高低等　rich and poor, powerful and weak, etc.
　Everyone, great and small, is affected by these changes.　所有的人，无论高低贵贱都受这些变革的影响。
 ♣ in a small way
　小规模　on a small scale
　He's in business in a small way.　他做的是小本生意。
　She collects antiques in a small way.　她收集了少许古玩。
　He's got himself into trouble in a small way.　他惹了点小麻烦。
　She is a picture-framer in a small way.　她小规模地制作画框。
 ♣ it's a small world
　世界可真小　one is likely to meet, or hear about, one knows however distantly wherever one goes
　We went to Scotland for the weekend and found that our former neighbours were staying in the same hotel—it's a small world!　我们去苏格兰度周末，发现我们以前的邻居也住在我们住的那家旅馆——真是太巧了。
 ♣ look〔feel〕 small
　感到羞愧　be humiliated
　You made me look so small, correcting me in front of everybody.　你当众纠正我的错误，使得我很难为情。
　He criticized her in front of her colleagues and made her feel very small.　他当着她同事的面批评了她，使她感到非常丢脸。
 ♣ small beer
　重要性或价值不大的人或事物　person or thing of no great importance or value
　He thinks he's wonderful, but he's really rather small beer.　他自命不凡认为他是个令人惊奇人物，实际上是个平庸之辈。
　That grant was pretty small beer, we shall need a lot more money.　这点补助金是杯水车薪，我们需要的钱远比这些多。
　I've got 60 shares in the company, but that's small beer compared with my father's thousands.　我在该公司有60股，但与我父亲的数千股相比就微不足道了。
 ♣ small fry〔potatoes〕
　（被认为）不重要的人或事物　people or thing thought to be unimportant
　I'm just a small fry in this company.　我只是这家公司的一个小人物。
　The boss always sees important visitors immediately, but small fry are often kept waiting.　老板总是即时会见重要人物，常常让小人物等候着。
　These little local firms are mere small fry compared with huge international companies.　跟庞大的跨国公司相比，这些当地的小公司都不过是些小店铺而已。
　I can do nothing, I'm small potatoes here.　我没办法，在这儿我只是个小卒子。
　Against these increases, the cuts in the spending looked like very small potatoes.　跟这些增长相比，支出的削减似乎微不足道。
 ♣ small talk
　闲谈，聊天　light conversation on unimportant or non-serious subjects
　He mingled freely with other delegates, trying to make small talk and little jokes.　他无拘无束地和其他代表混在一起，试图跟他们随便聊聊，开开玩笑。
 ♣ small wonder
　不太出奇　it is hardly surprising
　Small wonder that he was tired!　难怪他这么累！
　You've been eating far too much—small wonder you're getting fat!　你一直吃得太多了，难怪你越来越胖！
　It's small wonder you got tanned, staying out in the sun all that time.　你老是暴露在太阳底下，难怪晒得那么黑。
 ♣ the small hours
　午夜刚过的一段时间　period of time soon after midnight
　He came rolling home from the party in the small hours.　他参加了宴会后到凌晨时分才摇摇晃晃到家。
　I lay awake through the wee small hours, waiting for the signal.　我躺到后半夜没睡，等候信号。
　You shouldn't keep your friends up talking till the small hours.　你不该使你的朋友不睡觉一直谈到凌晨。
 ♣ the small print
　法律文件、契约等中常用小号字体印刷的部分　the parts of a legal document, contract, etc. which are often printed in a small type and contain important details that are easy to overlook
　The penalty clause was hidden in the small print.　惩罚条款印在不起眼的小号字体部分。
　Make sure you read all the small print before signing.　一定要先看清小号字体印刷部分再签字。
　It says in the small print that we're responsible for all repairs.　合约中的附属细则规定一切修理工作须由我们负责。
 ♣ the still small voice
　良心的呼唤，是非感　a person's sense of right and wrong
　A still small voice inside me told me that what I was planning to do was wrong.　良心告诉我，我打算做的事是不对的。
　Towards the end of the meeting people became very angry, and the still small voice of reason was completely lost in the general excitement.　会议临近结束时，人们极度愤怒，在群情激奋的情况下，完全丧失了冷静和理智。

 ♣ small, little, tiny
　这组词的共同意思是“小”。其区别是：little和small在修饰物时，前者着重数量不多、少；后者侧重于程度和尺寸的大小。little和small用来修饰人时，前者侧重于因年龄小而使身形娇小，后者则侧重于指比一般人身材矮小，含有比较的意味。另外， little还含有一种small所没有的感情色彩，往往含有“小得可爱”“小得可怜”等意思。tiny比little和small更强调小，含有“微不足道”的意思。例如：
　There is little gasoline left in the tank.　油箱里没有多少汽油了。
　The boy is small for his age.　这男孩身材小得同年龄不相称。
　He lived in a tiny cottage all by himself.　他一人住在一间很小的茅屋里。

1. 当small作为特征形容词和表示形状、年龄、新旧等其他特征形容词一起修饰名词时， small应位于表示“新旧”的形容词之后，而位于表示“形状”“年龄”的形容词之前。当small和描绘性形容词、表示颜色的形容词、表类属的形容词，名词或动名词性形容词一起修饰名词时，特征形容词一般位于描绘形容词后，其他形容词之前。
2. small有时还可用作副词，表示“成为小块”“很小”。例如：
　He writes so small that I can't read it.　他写的字太小，我无法看清。
　Don't draw the picture too small.　别把图画得太小。
3. small还可用作名词，表示“物体较小的部分”，常用作单数形式；用作复数时，表示“小件衣物（尤指内衣裤）”。例如：
　the small of the back　背部最窄处

　［同义词］ base, little, modest, petty, tiny, young, minute
　［反义词］ big, huge, large
　［词源］　古英语smæl（纤细的，窄的）