few

[fyoo]

adjective

fewer, fewest 

1. not many but more than one.

   Few artists live luxuriously.

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.

few

/ 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

noun

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

   the few who fell at Thermopylae

Other Word Forms

• overfew adjective
• fewness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of few¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of few¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

More idioms and phrases containing few

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

Example Sentences

“He’ll walk a few steps and then fall down,” he said.

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Home builders are enticing buyers with discounts and offers to pay down their mortgage rates for a few years with the hope that rates will later fall and let borrowers refinance.

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In other words, a few bad apples among entrepreneurs haven’t spoiled the bunch—and some of them have planted the seeds for growth.

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Lawsuits and federal cases allege that rehabs can charge insurance hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few months’ stay, but offer little in the way of treatment.

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Barry Josephson, a Hollywood producer whose home near the fire’s origin was among a few spared total destruction, said “it’s very satisfying that a culprit will be brought to justice.”

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Related Words

• several 
• some