: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The crime drama follows a small-time Chinatown luxury counterfeit dealer who enters a dangerous black-market underworld in order to fund a life of suburban respectability for her family. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025 Elsewhere in Milwaukee, someone has blown up a truck belonging to a small-time booze runner, and Hicks learns that the cops plan to pin the job on him. Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025 The family's lack of money became one of the biggest factors that drove the brothers to begin their journey as small-time drug dealers. Kayla Grant, People.com, 16 Aug. 2025 This will be especially useful for sports fans of small-time and less successful teams. Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for small-time

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

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

Cite this Entry

“Small-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small-time. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on small-time

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