fine print

American  

[fahyn] / faɪn /

noun

1. printed matter in small-sized type.

2. the detailed wording of a contract, lease, insurance policy, or the like, often set in type smaller than the main body of the document and including general restrictions or qualifications that could be considered disadvantageous.

   Make sure you read the fine print before signing.

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fine print British  

noun

1. Also called: small print.  matter set in small type, as in a contract, esp considered as containing unfavourable conditions that the signer might overlook

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Other Word Forms

• fine-print
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fine print

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

If you bought travel insurance, it may kick in, but it depends on your policy’s fine print.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026

Drivers say the fine print on the offers dictates which card they use and where they fill up gas, making it difficult for them to save money.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

“The fine print is important,” RBC Capital Markets’ Helima Croft told Barron’s.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

Read the fine print to make sure you are not being charged to claim the extension.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

I would see clumsy, work-hardened, calloused hands scrawling and scratching signatures on the contract, agreeing to highway- robbery interest rates in the fine print that never was read.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey