Meanings
- not comparableUsed to show a relevant fact that is unknown to a person, or that the result or sequence of events differs greatly from what one had expected with the little knowledge he or she had about the situation beforehand.
I was speaking ill of Fred; little did I know that he was right behind me, listening in.
3 more examples
Little did we know, we would be stuck in traffic for hours before finally making it back home.
Knight said Castro told her, "You're only going to be here as a friend, that's it. And I'll let you go on Christmas." Little did she know she would be held captive in his Cleveland home for more than ten years.
2013 November 6, Stephanie Slifer, “Michelle Knight, Cleveland kidnapping survivor, details horrific circumstances inside Ariel Castro's home”, in CBS NewsBut as United saw the game out, little did they know that, having looked likely to win their 13th Premier League title, it was City who turned the table to snatch glory from their arch-rivals’ grasp.
2012 May 13, Alistair Magowan, “Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport
Translations
Portuguese mal saber
- mal saberTranslations
Cite this entry
little did one know. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/little%20did%20one%20know
“little did one know.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/little%20did%20one%20know. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “little did one know,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/little%20did%20one%20know.
Source: little did one know on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.