Phrase guide

small potatoes

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

One or more persons or things of relatively little consequence, importance, or value.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, plural, plural-only

Examples

  • My paycheck is small potatoes compared to hers.
  • He no longer works for individuals, since they are small potatoes compared to his corporate clients.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

A specialization of a sense of potato meaning a thing of little value, and a comment on the low value of a small potato in particular, appearing in its modern form in North America in the mid-19th century (see 1855 quotation).