few
Americanadjective
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fewer,
comparative
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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:
Every loss of a B-1 has become more concerning now that the U.S. has so few of them—some 44 today, down from 100 in 1988.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Whatever plot, or sinkholes may open in the larger narrative — I had more than a few “yes, but” reactions to elements of the story — “Carrie” does extremely well with person-to-person scenes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Nvidia is another stock that is cheaper than the S&P 500 on the whole, despite explosive gains over the past few years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
I mean, Hasan, every podcast or debate I go into over the past few months, people try to grill me on you, and they’re like, “Do you disavow Hasan Piker?”
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
I sit on the steps a few feet away while he gets a bucket full of gardening tools and starts working.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Sunrise owns fewer than a quarter of its communities, earning management fees from operating the rest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The mental-health toll was more severe, with women living roughly 3.7 fewer years free of mental disorders, and men living about 5.8 fewer years without such problems, the study found.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Data from their smartwatches also indicated that they woke up fewer times during the night.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Thomas said GP numbers in Wales had "almost flat-lined" while the workload had increased, especially in more disadvantaged areas where there were "fewer doctors, fewer nurses and the healthcare needs are much greater".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Very few occupations in the nineteenth century were open to women, fewer still to abandoned mothers.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The euro now buys the fewest dollars in 17 months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Although the Dodgers committed the second-fewest errors and gave up the fewest unearned runs this season, they haven’t looked sharp defensively in the postseason, with all three Atlanta runs Sunday coming with two outs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
They’re averaging the fewest points per possession of any NFL offense of the past decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Arsenal conceded the fewest goals in the league last season as they won the title for the first time in 22 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
A hired boy took on a few, and Chris Beeston reluctantly agreed to don women's costume again, and for a time the sharers scheduled the plays with the fewest female roles.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
