little people
Americanplural noun
-
(in folklore) small, imaginary beings, as elves, fairies, or leprechauns.
-
the common people, especially workers, small merchants, or the like, who lead conventional, presumably unremarkable lives.
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of little people
First recorded in 1720–30
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.
Pate said recent Democratic wins in regional and local elections had given her "hope that the little people -- the working class — maybe are being heard."
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
What’s most disturbing is how little people seem to care.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
One way to understand how little people thought of these teams’ chances before the start of the season is through their preseason odds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025
"I have the problem that it’s not Putin that persecuted me but those little people I lived in the same city with," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2024
It was a snow globe, with two little people in it.
From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman
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.
