as in petty
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Recent Examples of small-time
Song Sung Blue centers on Mike Sardina (Jackman), a recovering alcoholic, Vietnam veteran and small-time musician working as a mechanic to support his love for performing, and Claire Stengl (Hudson), a struggling single mother who moonlights as a Patsy Cline impersonator.
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Robert Lang, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
This level of dealmaking far exceeds the bowling alley bets and small-time street gambles that have shaped Marty’s way of moving in the world, and Rockwell represents the kind of ruthless American capitalism and competition that requires humiliation and subjugation.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Tulane, a small-time football program with big playoff dreams, was once a founding member of the SEC, now the most dominant conference in football.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 19 Dec. 2025
His luxury condo tower near downtown Coral Gables, a monument to his jump from small-time developer to emerging star, was over budget and behind schedule.
—Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for small-time
Robert Lang, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
This level of dealmaking far exceeds the bowling alley bets and small-time street gambles that have shaped Marty’s way of moving in the world, and Rockwell represents the kind of ruthless American capitalism and competition that requires humiliation and subjugation.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 25 Dec. 2025
Tulane, a small-time football program with big playoff dreams, was once a founding member of the SEC, now the most dominant conference in football.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 19 Dec. 2025
His luxury condo tower near downtown Coral Gables, a monument to his jump from small-time developer to emerging star, was over budget and behind schedule.
—Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for small-time
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-time
Adjective
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From the creators of The Hills, Selling Sunset provides viewers with romance, petty drama, luxurious homes, and a game of trying to remember which Oppenheim twin is which.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Feb. 2026
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This is more than just petty high-school behaviour to be brushed off.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Yonquenide wouldn’t discuss any of it, not even the monthly hyperinflation of some 20% to 30% that made his small income almost worthless.—
Maeva Bambuck,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
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Paramount, which has made a rival, hostile bid for all of WBD, including the cable networks, has maintained that Discovery Global is essentially worthless given the downward trajectory of pay-TV.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Full-service hotels like Marriott and InterContinental still offer a more inclusive experience, and international airlines like Qatar Airways don't nickel-and-dime you for luggage.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
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The nickel-and-dime crack sales; the tickets for open containers — none of that mattered anymore.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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By the end of my life, there may be no one left who speaks like my father outside the hollers and the one-horse towns.—
Annie Joy Williams,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
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This week's Far-Flung Postcard series takes you to a food stand in the one-horse town of Marikavalasa in India, where working women go to enjoy a treat and unwind in the evening before returning to the grind.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Small-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-time. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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