: insignificant in performance, scope, or standing : petty
small-time thieves
small-timer noun

Examples of small-time in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Martinez is charged with two murders, the first occurring the night of Jan. 19, 2017, when three armed men tried to rob a small-time drug dealer named Robert Rios outside his uncle’s house in Placentia. Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2024 Andor may feel smaller than most other Star Wars titles by focusing on fringe planets and small-time Imperial bureaucrats rather than Grand Moffs and Jedi. Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 4 June 2024 Instead, she’s been making comparatively small-time appearances for pageant sponsors like Supermodels Unlimited. Constance Grady, Vox, 16 May 2024 The Good Cause Eviction measures would prohibit most landlords, excluding small-time landlords who own fewer than four units, from initiating eviction proceedings against a tenant absent one of seven specific reasons. Morenike Fajana, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for small-time 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'small-time.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of small-time was in 1915

Dictionary Entries Near small-time

Cite this Entry

“Small-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small-time. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on small-time

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!