wee

1 of 2

adjective

ˈwē 

1

: very small : diminutive

2

: very early

wee hours of the morning

WEE

2 of 2

abbreviation

western equine encephalitis

Synonyms

Adjective

• atomic
• bitsy
• bitty
• infinitesimal
• itty-bitty
• itsy-bitsy
• little bitty
• microminiature
• microscopic
• microscopical
• miniature
• minuscule
• minute
• teensy
• teensy-weensy
• teeny
• teeny-weeny
• tiny
• weeny
• weensy

Examples of wee in a Sentence

Adjective

He's just a wee lad.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The staff and volunteers spent five months teaching the wee birds how to survive in the wild before releasing them. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025

Everyone sipped on potent cocktails made with Longoria’s own tequila brand, Casa Del Sol, before moving on to LIV at the Fontainebleau until the wee hours. —Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 18 Mar. 2025

The two astronauts landed off the coast of Florida around 6 p.m. ET after leaving the space station in the wee hours of Tuesday morning on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. —Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025

The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers open the regular season against the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, with tickets at a premium for the two-game series that begins Tuesday in the wee hours of the morning on the East Coast. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 17 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English we, from we, noun, little bit, from Old English wǣge weight; akin to Old English wegan to move, weigh — more at way

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wee

• a wee bit
• go wee-wee
• wee-wee

Rhymes for wee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he

Kids Definition

wee

adjective

ˈwē 

1

: very small : tiny

2

: very early

the wee hours of the morning

Medical Definition

WEE

abbreviation

western equine encephalitis; western equine encephalomyelitis