English Dictionary
Definition least in British English
least
adjective, adverb, determiner, pronoun
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.
These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
adjective, adverb, determiner, pronoun
What are red words?
Around 90% of spoken and written English relies on just 7,500 common words.These words are highlighted in red and are ranked using a star system.
- One-star words are commonly used
- Two-star words are even more common
- Three-star words are the most frequently used
Least is the superlative form of little and can be used in the following ways:
as a determiner (followed by an uncountable noun): He generally takes the path of least resistance. (after ‘the’): These farming methods cause the least damage to the environment.
as a pronoun (without a following noun): People will choose the product that costs least. (after ‘the’): Abe works the hardest, yet he earns the least. (followed by ‘of’): That’s the least of my problems.
as an adverb (after ‘the’ and before an adjective): I think you are the least suitable person for the job. (followed by an adverb): Production was slowest where time was least efficiently used. (with a verb): She was kind to me when I least expected it. (after ‘the’ with a verb): The money seems to go to the people who need it the least.
as an adjective: At the least sign of trouble, he gets scared and quits.
I earn the least out of all of us.
used for emphasizing how small something is, especially when it is so small that it almost does not exist
I doubt anything you say will make the least difference to what he does.
used for emphasizing that a particular problem is smaller or less important than other problems
used for saying what the smallest amount that should be done about something is, and suggesting that more should really be done
The least you can do is listen to what I have to say before you reject it completely.
The least he deserves is a compliment from time to time.
used for saying that someone or something has less of a particular quality than anyone or anything else
