as in petty
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Recent Examples of small-time
Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuau previously said the robbery appeared to be the work of small-time criminals rather than professionals.
—
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
The story is told through two timelines, six years apart, as a Norwegian detective and crime writer investigates a string of murders that begins with the murder of a small-time criminal and gun dealer who is shot down in the street.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
Cuban may be worth billions today, but his career started with small-time hustles.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
So, say some small-time businessmen hire a truck through a dispatcher, the truck drives up to a field, and there, along the perimeter, a forklift crane pulls the pipe up from the sand.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small-time
Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
The story is told through two timelines, six years apart, as a Norwegian detective and crime writer investigates a string of murders that begins with the murder of a small-time criminal and gun dealer who is shot down in the street.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2026
Cuban may be worth billions today, but his career started with small-time hustles.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
So, say some small-time businessmen hire a truck through a dispatcher, the truck drives up to a field, and there, along the perimeter, a forklift crane pulls the pipe up from the sand.
—Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small-time
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small-time
Adjective
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Instead, Washington stages high-volume skirmishes over symbolic and petty conflicts.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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What begins as petty extortion turns into control of the local drug trade, as the girls style themselves as protectors of the poor and enemies of the corrupt.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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After 10 or 15 years, these CVT cars may become worthless boat anchors, while their gear transmission cousins are still in the prime of life.—
Ed Sokalski,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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Otherwise, the cease-fire would feel worthless to many Ukrainians, merely giving Russia a chance to prepare for another invasion.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 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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McCarthy moved to his current studio in 2012, and around then, bought land out in the Tehachapi Mountains to serve as Wild West backdrops, not unlike the early film studios buying up tumbleweed stables in Topanga to serve as facsimiles of one-horse towns to shoot westerns.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
25 Feb. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Small-time.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small-time. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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