little more

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   only a small additional amount; not much extra.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'than' or used before an uncountable noun: 'little more time.'

   Patterns

   • little more than
   • little more time
   • need little more

   We need little more time to finish the report.

   After the first week, there was little more to say about the plan.

   The recipe calls for little more than flour, water, and salt.

2. 2phrasefixed phrase

   used to say that something is almost the same as, or no better than, something else.

   Grammar: In this sense it is almost always followed by 'than' and often carries a critical or surprising tone.

   Patterns

   • little more than + noun
   • be little more than
   • amount to little more than

   The apology was little more than a few polite words.

   His first business was little more than a table in a market.

   The so-called club was little more than a room with a coffee machine.

Common combinations

little more than

The old bridge is little more than a narrow path over the river.

little more time

Give me little more time and I will have the answer.

little more than a child

He was little more than a child when he started working.

amount to little more than

The meeting amounted to little more than a short announcement.

Synonyms and how they differ

barely more than

Very close, but 'barely' stresses just managing to be more, while 'little more' stresses the small amount.

scarcely more than

More formal and slightly stronger; it suggests almost not more at all.

Opposites

Word family

little determiner

a small amount of something.

more determiner

a larger amount or number.

Commonly confused: little more or a little more?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “little more”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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