few

American  

[fyoo] / fyu /

adjective

fewer, fewest

1. not many but more than one.

   Few artists live luxuriously.

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noun

1. (used with a plural verb) a small number or amount.

   Send me a few.

2. the few, a special, limited number; the minority.

   That music appeals to the few.

pronoun

1. (used with a plural verb) a small number of persons or things.

   A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up.

idioms

1. quite a few, a fairly large number; many.

   There were quite a few interesting things to do.

2. few and far between, at widely separated intervals; infrequent.

   In Nevada the towns are few and far between.

few British  

/ fjuː /

determiner

1. 1. a small number of; hardly any

      few men are so cruel

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as plural )

      many are called but few are chosen

2. (preceded by a)

   1. a small number of

      a few drinks

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as plural )

      a few of you

3. informal several

4. 1. at great intervals; widely spaced

   2. not abundant; scarce

5. to consume several ( or too many) alcoholic drinks

6. informal several

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noun

1. a small number of people considered as a class Compare many

   the few who fell at Thermopylae

few More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing few

• a few
• bricks shy of a load, (a few)
• of few words
• precious few
• quite a bit (few)

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Other Word Forms

• fewness noun
• overfew adjective

Etymology

Origin of few

First recorded before 900; Middle English fewe, Old English fēawe; cognate with Gothic fawai; akin to Latin paucus “few,” paulus “little,” pauper “poor,” Greek paûros “little, few”

Example Sentences

For a few years, car shoppers were undeterred.

From The Wall Street Journal

But very few respondents—just 4%—had hired any new staff in the past year.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It involved really intense choreography," said Safdie, admitting he broke into a few cold sweats while preparing for the shoot.

From Barron's

Beyond the broader software industry weakness, a few developments have added a new layer of complexity to the company’s potential.

From Barron's

With few entertainment options available, consumers, flush with cash from stimulus checks, were quick to spend the dough on stuff they didn’t really need—sneakers, designer handbags, flat-screen TVs, you name it.

From Barron's

Related Words

• several
• some