small time
noun
a circuit of minor theaters giving three or more shows daily.
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small time
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small-time
small-timeadjectiveof modest or insignificant size, importance, or influence.
small time
1 Americannoun
small-time
2
American
[smawl-tahym]
/ ˈsmɔlˈtaɪm /
adjective
small-time
British
adjective
small time
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of small time1
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Origin of small-time2
First recorded in 1910–15
Vocabulary lists containing small-time
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:
The challenge is tied to the interval between computational steps: to capture rapid events such as supernova evolution, the simulation must advance in very small time increments.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2025
In the local vernacular, it has all been a bit small time.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
“It’s so much in such a small time period.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2023
“As time passed, we realized that when we had that small time to rest, you get a lot of positivity from taking that risk,” Jongyeon said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2023
But it isn’t silly, this preoccupation with small time units.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Why is USC playing nonleague football games against small-time Division I opponents?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
By making a relatively small-time conspiracy into a grand cinematic affair, De Palma illustrates just how easily a single evil idea can spiral into catastrophe in seconds.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
It was small-time stuff until after the Civil War, when the railroads reached south and the fruit sold north.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Here, a small-time gambler keeps hoping for one big score that never materializes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Any municipal jail, he figured, expects many of their prisoners to leave within a day or two, through bonds or dropped charges or any number of outcomes for the small-time offender.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
