few

[ fyoo ]

/ fyu /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR few ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, few·er, few·est.

not many but more than one: Few artists live luxuriously.

noun

(used with a plural verb) a small number or amount: Send me a few.

the few, a special, limited number; the minority: That music appeals to the few.

pronoun

(used with a plural verb) a small number of persons or things: A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up.

Words nearby few

feverish, feverous, feverroot, feverweed, feverwort, few, few and far between, few bricks shy of a load, few words, fewer, fewness

Idioms for few

few and far between, at widely separated intervals; infrequent: In Nevada the towns are few and far between.

quite a few, a fairly large number; many: There were quite a few interesting things to do.

Origin of few

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

OTHER WORDS FROM few

o·ver·few, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for few

A few days later, Bush replied, “We will uphold the law in Florida.”
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Like many Americans—but few Republican presidential candidates—the former Florida governor has evolved on the issue.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails|Jackie Kucinich|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sputtering, I manage a few “hut-hut-huts” with the other students.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We do see that a few European countries have them on the books: Germany, Poland, Italy, Ireland, a couple more.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

So it might be me projecting my desires onto Archer to want to just get away from work for a few weeks.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Dorinda warned me not to go far from the house because supper would be ready in a few minutes.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine|Joseph C. Lincoln
Halting a few paces away, Tracy motioned to us to avoid moving the bushes, but to approach the fence and look between the rails.
Military Reminiscences of the Civil War V2|Jacob Dolson Cox
And this rapid change, this third engagement within a few weeks,—was disgusting to her as a woman.
The American Senator|Anthony Trollope
Cannon and musketry spread devastation everywhere—for the armies were but a few toises apart.
The History of Napoleon Buonaparte|John Gibson Lockhart
A few newspaper proprietors would have been the only people really benefited.
Paul Kelver|Jerome Klapka, AKA Jerome K. Jerome

British Dictionary definitions for few

few

/ (fjuː) /

determiner

a small number of; hardly anyfew men are so cruel
(as pronoun; functioning as plural)many are called but few are chosen

(preceded by a)

a small number ofa few drinks
(as pronoun; functioning as plural)a few of you

a good few informal several

few and far between

at great intervals; widely spaced
not abundant; scarce

have a few or have a few too many to consume several (or too many) alcoholic drinks

not a few or quite a few informal several

noun

the few a small number of people considered as a classthe few who fell at Thermopylae Compare many (def. 4)

Derived forms of few

fewness, noun

Word Origin for few

Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent

undefined few

See less

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with few

few

In addition to the idioms beginning with few

few and far between
few bricks shy of a load
few words

also see:

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

few

adjective, few·er, few·est.

noun

pronoun

Words related to few

Words nearby few

Idioms for few

Origin of few

OTHER WORDS FROM few

Examples from the Web for few

British Dictionary definitions for few

determiner

noun

Derived forms of few

Word Origin for few

undefined few

Idioms and Phrases with few