few
- not many but more than one: Few artists live luxuriously.
- (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.
- (used with a plural verb) a small number of persons or things: A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up.
- 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
Related Words for few
several, some, petty, minority, less, scanty, slight, lean, middling, short, minute, scattering, minor, trifling, sprinkling, smattering, exiguous, imperceptible, inconsequentialExamples from the Web for few
Contemporary Examples of few
A few days later, Bush replied, “We will uphold the law in Florida.”
Like many Americans—but few Republican presidential candidates—the former Florida governor has evolved on the issue.
Sputtering, I manage a few “hut-hut-huts” with the other students.
We do see that a few European countries have them on the books: Germany, Poland, Italy, Ireland, a couple more.
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-ISISMarlow Stern
January 8, 2015
Historical Examples of few
They were both silent for a few moments; and Eudora's countenance was troubled.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
Here we see but a few of the last links, and those imperfectly.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
So small was it that to have gone a few feet to either side would have been to miss it.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
I shall be staying with Aunt Cornelia a few days after to-morrow.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
Or, if I'd only got tied up in some way for a few weeks—something I could tide over.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
few
- 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
- the few a small number of people considered as a classthe few who fell at Thermopylae Compare many (def. 4)
Word Origin for few
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Word Origin and History for few
Old English feawe (plural; contracted to fea) "few, seldom, even a little," from Proto-Germanic *faw-, from PIE root *pau- (1) "few, little" (cf. Latin paucus "few, little," paullus "little," parvus "little, small," pauper "poor;" Greek pauros "few, little," pais (genitive paidos) "child;" Latin puer "child, boy," pullus "young animal;" Oscan puklu "child;" Sanskrit potah "a young animal," putrah "son;" Old English fola "young horse;" Old Norse fylja "young female horse;" Old Church Slavonic puta "bird;" Lithuanian putytis "young animal, young bird"). Always plural in Old English.
Phrase few and far between attested from 1660s. Unusual ironic use in quite a few "many" (1883), earlier a good few (1828). The noun is late 12c., fewe, from the adjective.
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. [Winston Churchill, 1940]
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)