little man
Americannoun
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the common or ordinary person.
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Informal. the small, ordinary investor, as opposed to big investment institutions.
noun
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a man of no importance or significance
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a tradesman or artisan operating on a small scale
Etymology
Origin of little man
First recorded in 1930–35
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.
It seems like the end for the miller’s daughter, until a strange little man appears and offers to help—naturally, for a price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
In the more than five-minute long call, Mr Stockton could be heard saying "come on little man", "wakey wakey" and "cough it up" before apparently performing CPR on Charlie under direction from the call-handler.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2024
To expend energy railing against this one petty, petty little man is to inveigh against the symptom, as opposed to the problem.
From Slate ● May 22, 2024
The little man approaches the news vendor and says, “Action Stories, please.”
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2024
“I gotta bring my little man in to get a cut like this!”
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
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.
