peewee

American  

[pee-wee] / ˈpiˌwi /

adjective

1. very small; tiny.

2. insignificant or inconsequential.

   a player sent to the peewee leagues.

---

noun

1. a person or thing that is unusually small.

2. an animal that is small for its kind; runt.

3. Marbles. a small playing marble, often one made of clay rather than glass.

peewee British  

/ ˈpiːwiː /

noun

1. a variant spelling of pewee

2. a variant (esp Scot) of peewit

3. another name for magpie lark

4. 1. an age level of 12 to 13 in amateur sport, esp ice hockey

   2. ( as modifier )

      peewee hockey

---

Etymology

Origin of peewee

First recorded in 1885–90; rhyming compound based on wee

Example Sentences

David Williams, the executive director of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in Kent, compared Schumacher’s rise in the sport to somebody who started playing peewee football in Seattle and advanced to play for the Seahawks.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 31, 2023

Not even as a kid playing peewee football in Florida.

From Washington Times • Dec. 18, 2022

With his cowboy hat pulled low over his face, he flashes the slightest grin while displaying the engraved world championship buckle he won at a peewee league bull riding tournament in 2020.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2022

“Courage Hats” wants a little too forcefully to guide us into “deep” places where we will doff our hidey-hats to reveal our true selves — abstract concepts for the literalizing peewee set.

From New York Times • May 20, 2022

But by some accident of eye and timing he beat his brother at peewee.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• little
• mini
• miniature
• minuscule
• minute
• petite
• small
• tiny