Synonyms

small print

American

noun

fine print.

small print British

noun

matter in a contract, etc, printed in small type, esp when considered to be a trap for the unwary

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

small print Idioms

Also, fine print. The details in a contract or other document, often indicating restrictions or other disadvantages. For example, Be sure you read the small print before you sign your name to it, or They had the warranty terms in fine print, so you'd overlook the fact that it was only good for a month. This idiom alludes to the fact that such material is often printed in smaller type than the rest of the document. [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Gareth Fitzgerald, who spent £1,000 on his shares, accepts there is always a risk with this type of investing which would have been explained in the small print.

From BBC

Yet, as he squinted to read the small print on jars of Skippy sitting on the same shelf, the 68-year old made a more disappointing discovery.

From The Wall Street Journal

While the small print is poured over, former Scotland international James McFadden is content Celtic are in perfectly good hands with O'Neill.

From BBC

They may be advised in small print that a reinsurer is taking over the administration of their policies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Byrne, speaking on BBC's radio 4 on Sunday, said there would be "a lot of small print attached to these loan conditions" to ensure suppliers are helped.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023