few
Americanadjective
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fewer,
comparative
-
fewest
superlative
noun
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(used with a plural verb) a small number or amount.
Send me a few.
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the few, a special, limited number; the minority.
That music appeals to the few.
pronoun
idioms
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quite a few, a fairly large number; many.
There were quite a few interesting things to do.
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few and far between, at widely separated intervals; infrequent.
In Nevada the towns are few and far between.
determiner
-
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a small number of; hardly any
few men are so cruel
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( as pronoun; functioning as plural )
many are called but few are chosen
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(preceded by a)
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a small number of
a few drinks
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( as pronoun; functioning as plural )
a few of you
-
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informal several
-
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at great intervals; widely spaced
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not abundant; scarce
-
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to consume several ( or too many) alcoholic drinks
-
informal several
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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”
Explanation
Few is a word for a small, non-specific number. A few is somewhere between a couple and a whole bunch. When you say you're going to have a few fries, you'd better not eat the whole order — a few is a tiny number. It takes more than a few people to play basketball, though they could probably play two-on-two. This is one of many words for amounts that aren't specific, like a bunch, a load, or a bit. If someone refers to the few, they're talking about an elite, special group, like "The few. The proud. The Marines."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"And with continued uncertainty in the Middle East — itself driven in part by US actions — South Korea may have few alternatives if the Arctic route proves economically viable," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
In the end, all the panic was for nothing as while rain came, it was only a few spots and not enough to affect the conditions.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
After the golf course, I put in a few more destinations—the Sullenberger Aviation Museum, the Omni Hotel downtown—and kicked back while the car contended with traffic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Even as propaganda, it was pretty dumb — never discounting for currency fluctuation, alternative sourcing or domestic capacity increases, to name a few counterindicators.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
Grandma senses that and says, “This is a major decision. You can spare a few hours to make sure you’re making the right one.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The basic principle of weight loss is straightforward: if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
They have the second-best record in baseball, with two fewer wins than the Milwaukee Brewers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
In smaller states with fewer media markets, ad rates can rise quickly, especially when there are competitive governor and House races also competing for airtime.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
“And people who have fewer financial resources will be the ones who are unable to do that.”
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
There are often fewer and fewer opportunities for children to actively engage in music making themselves.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Hiring picked up in first half of 2026, but last year saw the fewest new jobs created in any year in which the economy was not in recession.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
This compares to 704 the previous year and was the fewest since at least 2021.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
They have the highest on-base-plus-slugging percentage in the major leagues and have conceded the fewest runs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Not only has Spain given up the fewest goals in this tournament, it has given up the fewest shots as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
"The least emotional of our party, then. The one who can most resist the cries of others. The one with fewest ties to flesh-and-blood things. That person should lead us."
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
