little people

plural noun

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Definition of little people

1 : tiny imaginary beings (such as fairies, elves, and leprechauns) of folklore

2 : children

3 : people of unusually short stature

4 : common people

Recent Examples of little people from the Web

But shared interests emerge as the babies develop into little people with their own personalities, interests, and demands.

— stephanie feuer, Good Housekeeping, "What It's Like Raising My Son As An “Older” Mom," 3 Nov. 2017
Maren, a Boston native, was best known for playing a member of the Lollipop Guild, the group of little people who welcome Dorothy to Munchkin Land in Oz.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "Jerry Maren, last surviving Munchkin from 'Wizard of Oz,' dies at 98," 6 June 2018
These miniatures also provide her with some sense of control, an ability to move these little people that look like her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne), and son Peter (Alex Wolff), around.

— richard newby, The Hollywood Reporter, "Why 'Hereditary' Is Dividing Audiences," 10 June 2018
What’s most surprising about the tremendous success of the 8086, though, is how little people expected of it when it was first conceived.

— benj edwards, PCWorld, "Birth of a standard: The Intel 8086 microprocessor turns 40 today," 8 June 2018
In addition, some other little people in the entertainment business have faced substance abuse problems, altough the LPA notes that people with dwarfism are not predisposed to any substance abuse issues.

— Fox News, "Verne Troyer's death the latest tragedy for Hollywood's community of little people," 23 Apr. 2018
Even when viewed from very high up, through the lens of a thing that’s been alive since before Jesus, all these little people with their short, busy lives and blinding passions are very dear indeed.

— barbara kingsolver, New York Times, "The Heroes of This Novel Are Centuries Old and 300 Feet Tall," 9 Apr. 2018
Maren, who stood just 4-feet-3, was one of more than 100 little people recruited to play munchkins in the movie.

— NBC News, "Last surviving 'Wizard of Oz' munchkin Jerry Maren dies," 7 June 2018
This is a man who has a history of thuggish behavior, using intimidation tactics, and trying to step on little people.

— david morgan, CBS News, "Stormy Daniels "receives threats on a near-hourly basis," attorney says," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'little people.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.