small print

American  

noun

1. fine print.

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small print British  

noun

1. matter in a contract, etc, printed in small type, esp when considered to be a trap for the unwary

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small print Idioms  

1. Also, fine print. The details in a contract or other document, often indicating restrictions or other disadvantages. For example, Be sure you read the small print before you sign your name to it, or They had the warranty terms in fine print, so you'd overlook the fact that it was only good for a month. This idiom alludes to the fact that such material is often printed in smaller type than the rest of the document. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

small print

Record time, though, isn’t defined and small print on the official website External link warns “additional small fees” may apply depending on where the applicant is from.

From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026

That’s quite a roster of side effects, like the small print at the end of drug company TV commercials.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2026

Yet, as he squinted to read the small print on jars of Skippy sitting on the same shelf, the 68-year old made a more disappointing discovery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

Many buyers face problems because they will not have studied the small print on their contract with the holiday park, according to second-hand caravan dealer Peter Preidel.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2025

Now I have bent close with a glass over the small print of her and reread the footnotes, and I wonder if it was true.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck