wee
gb/wˈi/ us/wˈi/
A2
English
~ 7200
pici, kis, rövid, egy kicsit, pisi, pisil
B1
INFORMAL
1
Usage pattern:
a wee [noun]
Look at that wee kitten sleeping on the chair.
Nézd azt a pici cicát, ahogy a széken alszik.
She poured herself a wee glass of wine.
Töltött magának egy kis pohár bort.
They live in a wee village by the sea.
Can I have a wee taste of your dessert?
We climbed a wee hill behind the house.
Learner examples
He gave me a wee gift.
Adott nekem egy kis ajándékot.
The wee dog runs in the garden.
A pici kutya a kertben futkározik.
I have a wee problem with my phone.
She lives in a wee house near the park.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'wee' with 'we' (the pronoun). 'Wee' is an adjective meaning 'small', and is mainly used in Scottish, Irish, and some British English. It is informal and usually not used in formal writing.
Meaning
very small; tiny
Collocations
a wee bit
|wee girl
|wee boy
|wee dog
|wee dram
|wee problem
Synonyms
small (More neutral and widely used; not regional or informal.)
|
little (Very close in meaning; can also sound affectionate like 'wee'.)
|
tiny (Suggests extremely small, often even smaller than 'wee'.)
Antonyms
big (General opposite in size in everyday speech.)
|
large (More formal or neutral opposite of 'small'.)
|
huge (Emphasizes being extremely big, the strong opposite of 'wee'.)
Themes
descriptions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Definition
Very small in size or amount.
Very small in size, amount, or degree, often used in Scottish or Irish English and sometimes affectionately.
B2
INFORMAL
2
rövid
A2
egy kicsit
A1
Usage pattern:
for a wee [while/minute/moment]
Sit down and rest for a wee while.
Ülj le, és pihenj egy kicsit.
It will only take a wee minute to sign the form.
Csak egy percbe telik aláírni az űrlapot.
Can you wait a wee moment, please?
We chatted for a wee bit before the meeting.
Learner examples
Please stay for a wee while.
Kérlek, maradj még egy kicsit.
I will be back in a wee minute.
Mindjárt visszajövök.
Can you wait a wee moment?
We talked for a wee while after class.
Common mistake:
Learners may say '*for wee time*' instead of 'for a wee while' or 'for a wee minute'. In this sense, 'wee' is usually used with a time word and an article: 'a wee while', 'a wee minute'. It is also informal and mostly used in Scottish, Irish, and some British English.
Meaning
very short in time
Collocations
a wee while
|a wee minute
|a wee moment
|wait a wee while
|stay a wee while
Synonyms
brief (More formal and neutral; not regional.)
|
short (Very close in meaning; standard everyday word.)
|
momentary (More formal; often used in written English.)
Antonyms
long (General opposite for time length.)
|
lengthy (Suggests something taking too much time, opposite of 'wee' for duration.)
Themes
time
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Very short in time; brief.
Lasting only a very short time; brief, especially in phrases like 'a wee while' or 'a wee minute'.
NOUN
A2
INFORMAL
3
pisi
A1
Usage pattern:
to do a wee
The toddler had a wee in his pants.
A totyogó gyerek bepisilt a nadrágjába.
Make sure you do a wee before we leave.
Csinálj egy pisit, mielőtt elindulunk.
She asked the teacher if she could go for a wee.
There was dog wee on the pavement.
Learner examples
The boy did a wee in the toilet.
A fiú pisilt a vécébe.
I need to go for a wee.
El kell mennem pisilni.
There is cat wee on the floor.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'wee' in this sense in formal contexts, where 'urine' or 'urinate' would be more appropriate. Also, be careful not to confuse this noun with the adjective 'wee' meaning 'small'.
Meaning
urine; children's word
Collocations
have a wee
|do a wee
|go for a wee
|dog wee
|wee on the floor
Synonyms
pee (Very close in meaning and style; used widely in both child and adult speech.)
|
urine (More formal and medical; not childish.)
Themes
body
|health
|children
|daily_life
Definition
Urine; a word that children often use instead of 'pee'.
Urine, especially when referred to using a child's or joking word.
VERB
A2
INFORMAL
4
pisil
A1
Usage pattern:
[someone] wees
The child now wees in the potty.
A gyerek már a bilibe pisil.
Do you need to wee before the journey?
Kell pisilned az út előtt?
The dog sometimes wees on the kitchen floor.
She nearly wee'd in her pants from laughing so hard.
Learner examples
The baby wees in his diaper.
A baba a pelenkájába pisil.
Please wee before we leave the house.
Kérlek, pisilj, mielőtt elindulunk otthonról.
The dog is weeing on the grass.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes treat 'wee' only as a noun and say '*I have to do wee*' instead of 'I have to wee' (verb) or 'I have to do a wee' (noun). Also, this verb is informal and mainly used with children; in polite or medical contexts, 'urinate' or 'go to the toilet' are preferred.
Meaning
to urinate; child's word
Collocations
wee in the toilet
|wee in bed
|wee on the floor
|need to wee
|wee himself
Synonyms
pee (Very close in meaning and register; widely used in informal speech.)
|
urinate (More formal and medical; not typically used with children.)
Themes
body
|health
|children
|daily_life
Definition
To pass urine; to pee.
To urinate, especially using a child's or joking word.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wee
IPA
GB/wˈi/
US/wˈi/
Syllables & stress
wee (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (wee)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: wee
- Comparative: weeer
- Superlative: weeest
Noun
- Base: wee
- Plural: wee, wees
Verb
- Base: wee
- 3rd Person Singular: wees
- Present Participle: weeing
- Past: weed
Word family
Forms
Core family
weeny
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular comparative: weeer Adjective
- Irregular superlative: weeest Adjective
Expressions
a wee bit
1/ə wˈi bˈɪt/
fixed phrase
informal
a very small amount
A very small amount; a little.
Examples
- I'm a wee bit tired today.
- Could you move over just a wee bit?
- It was a wee bit expensive, but worth it.
a wee dram
1/ə wˈi dɹˈæm/
fixed phrase
informal
a small glass of whisky
A small amount of whisky, usually a single shot in a glass.
Examples
- He poured himself a wee dram by the fire.
- We had a wee dram to celebrate the good news.
for a wee while
1/fɚ ə wˈi wˈaɪl/
fixed phrase
informal
for a short time
For a short time; for a little while.
Examples
- Stay with us for a wee while.
- We sat in the park for a wee while after lunch.
the wee hours
1/ðə wˈi ˈaʊɚz/
idiom
very early hours after midnight
The very early hours of the morning, soon after midnight.
Examples
- They finally arrived in the wee hours of the morning.
- He worked on the report until the wee hours.
- The baby often wakes up in the wee hours.
the wee small hours
1/ðə wˈi smˈɔl ˈaʊɚz/
idiom
literary
the very early hours
The very early hours of the morning, soon after midnight, often used in stories or songs.
Examples
- She wrote poetry in the wee small hours of the morning.
- We talked into the wee small hours and forgot the time.