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1

bantam

noun ban·tam \ ˈban-təm \

Definition of bantam

1 : any of numerous small domestic fowls that are often miniatures of members of the standard breeds

2 : a person of diminutive stature and often combative disposition

See bantam defined for English-language learners

See bantam defined for kids

Recent Examples of bantam from the Web

The feed buckets in the hen house are labeled with green and yellow Dunes Learning Center stickers, and three types of hens — Rhode Island red, barred rock and bantam white —cluck in the hen house and the adjacent fenced yard.

— amy lavalley, chicagotribune.com, "Animals return down on the Chellberg Farm," 24 May 2017
An officer responding to a report of a chicken running through an intersection was able to capture the black bantam rooster.

— Washington Post, "D.C. Animal Watch," 23 May 2017
Walter’s big regret was letting 15-year-old Stephen go to the rough-and-tumble Western Hockey League when he was drafted third over all in the 1995 W.H.L. bantam draft.

— john branch, New York Times, "After a Life of Punches, Ex-N.H.L. Enforcer Is a Threat to Himself," 1 June 2016
There were large chickens, Asiatic chickens, and game bantams.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Poultry Popularity On Display At Woodstock Fair," 18 Sep. 2017
Rapp, played by Dylan O’Brien (who has the bearing, manner and vocal inflections of a bantam Mark Wahlberg), is young, but not really a fresh face.

— a.o. scott, New York Times, "Review: Hey, Jack Reacher and Jason Bourne. Room for One More?," 14 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bantam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of bantam

Bantam, former residency in Java

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1740

See Words from the same year

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

2

bantam

adjective

Definition of bantam

1 : small, diminutive

2 : pertly combative

Examples of bantam in a Sentence

a bantam comedian who is known to fellow performers for his oversize ego

First Known Use of bantam

1881

bantam Synonyms

Synonyms

small, diminutive, dinky, dwarfish, fine, half-pint, Lilliputian, little, pint-size (or pint-sized), pocket, pocket-size (also pocket-sized), puny, pygmy, shrimpy, slight, smallish, subnormal, toylike, undersized (also undersize)

Antonyms

big, biggish, considerable, goodly, grand, great, handsome, husky, king-size (or king-sized), large, largish, outsize (also outsized), overscale (or overscaled), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), substantial, tidy, whacking, whopping

Related Words

dwarf, toy; runtish, runty, scrubby, stunted; bitty, inappreciable, infinitesimal, little bitty, micro, microscopic (also microscopical), mini, miniature, miniaturized, minikin, minim, minuscule, minute, pinpoint, teensy, teensy-weensy, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, wee, weeny (also weensy); meager (or meagre), niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy; deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, wanting; bite-size (also bite-sized), capsule

Near Antonyms

bulky, hefty, hulking, massive, voluminous; boxcar, Brobdingnagian, Bunyanesque, cavernous, colossal, cyclopean, elephantine, enormous, galactic, gargantuan, giant, gigantic, gross, Himalayan, herculean, heroic (also heroical), huge, humongous (also humungous), immense, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, pharaonic, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, titanic, tremendous, vast; abundant, ample, appreciable, bountiful, copious, generous, healthy, liberal, plenteous, plentiful; fat, thick; broad, wide; boundless, cosmic (also cosmical), immeasurable, incalculable, infinite; adequate, enough, sufficient

Bantam

geographical name Ban·tam \ ˈban-təm \

Definition of Bantam

former town of Indonesia in the northwestern corner of Java; once capital of the Sultanate of Bantam

BANTAM Defined for English Language Learners

bantam

noun

Definition of bantam for English Language Learners

: a kind of small chicken

BANTAM Defined for Kids

bantam

noun ban·tam \ ˈban-təm \

Definition of bantam for Students

: a miniature breed of domestic chicken often raised for exhibiting in shows

Learn More about bantam

See words that rhyme with bantam Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bantam Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bantam

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Examples: bantam in a Sentence