small potato

noun

Updated on: 27 Mar 2018

Definition of small potato

: one that is of trivial importance or worth —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

Recent Examples of small potato from the Web

Alessandra, meanwhile, was roasting small potatoes, drizzling olive oil over butterhead lettuce, and cooking sweet Italian sausages.

— libby copeland, Curbed, "Home smart home," 14 Mar. 2018
Still, Monday's weather was small potatoes compared to what will hit the region in a couple days.

— dale kasler and benjy egel, sacbee, "The dry spell ends in California. But can we stave off drought? | The Sacramento Bee," 26 Feb. 2018
Maybe to you, Lady Bird’s critical, nearly twee grandiosity is too earnest, too small potatoes, too corny, too feel-good, too… adolescent girl?

— Esquire, "And the Best Picture Should Be...," 23 Feb. 2018
There was also steak, a sirloin served sliced with a rich brown sauce as only restaurants can make, and some of those delicious meltingly creamy small potatoes.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Via Vite: The restaurant that does it all," 19 Jan. 2018
Great idea; that's a few more dollars. Soak the oil companies a little more? Fine, and again, small potatoes compared to our money gap.

— glenn cravez, Alaska Dispatch News, "Alaska legislators need to hear from you. Are you happy with their work?," 19 June 2017
So considering some of those previous actions, what Mayfield did seems like small potatoes.

— tim griffin, ajc, "Punishing Baker Mayfield was a ticklish question for Oklahoma officials," 20 Nov. 2017
For the perfect crunch, smash small potatoes before roasting and for a creamy treat; try simmering celeriac in milk before mashing.

— plum organics®, Bon Appetit, "These Tips, Tricks, and Recipes Make "Eating Your Colors" a Breeze," 1 Apr. 2017
On Thursday, the juggernaut planemaker Boeing announced the introduction of self-cleaning toilets, an innovation that makes the issue of extra legroom seem like small potatoes in comparison.

— kari costas, ELLE Decor, "Germaphobes, Rejoice. Airplanes May Soon Have Self-Cleaning Bathrooms," 4 Mar. 2016

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