petit
adjective
small; petty; minor.
petit
American
[pet-ee, puh-tee]
/ ˈpɛt i, pəˈti /
adjective
Law.
Petit
1
British
/ pəti /
noun
petit
2
British
/ ˈpɛtɪ /
adjective
Etymology
Origin of petit
1325–75; Middle English < Middle French; see petty
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.
See Examples For:
She once filmed herself plating an elaborate dessert—a petit gâteau in the shape of a Christmas ornament from the Miami bakery Bachour—only to have it slip off her spatula and break.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Judge Tamas Jakkel's choice for reserve dog was a petit basset griffon vendeen called Meghan, from Croatia, who earlier won the Hound group.
From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026
A steal at $28 for three courses, diners saddle up to the counter, reminiscent of a chef’s table, for a French and Japanese-inspired amuse bouche with a main dessert, followed by petit fours.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2025
Living in Paris for a year certainly had its share of stresses, mostly because my French language skills never really advanced beyond me saying, Je parle français un petit peu, before switching to English.
From Slate ● Jan. 6, 2025
We could hear the rhythmic thuds of the students practicing their petit jetés and changements.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
France ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, Zidane netting twice and Emmanuel Petit grabbing a late third.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Grigoryan cites the famous Big Mec — celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre’s decadent, French-inspired burger at Petit Trois — which costs $38.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Watching them get acquired by Shein isn’t just a business story, it feels like a generational story, because we were promised that millennial retail could be different,” Petit said of the news about Everlane.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
There was this scene with Frenchie and Petit Hughie.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
In the autumn of 1646 Pierre Petit and his friend Blaise Pascal successfully performed the experiment in Rouen; Petit had heard about it, but neither had seen it done before.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
