few
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
few and far between, at widely separated intervals; infrequent.
In Nevada the towns are few and far between.
determiner
-
-
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
-
-
(preceded by a)
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a small number of
a few drinks
-
( as pronoun; functioning as plural )
a few of you
-
-
informal several
-
-
at great intervals; widely spaced
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not abundant; scarce
-
-
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:
"Tonga are a stacked team. They have been for a few years now," Williams said.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Guy de Maupassant’s novels are worth reading, but few would dispute the claim that his best work appears in his stories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
A few cars and bicycles remained stranded in the parking lot.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The City Council has received and accepted multiple annual reports from LA28, raising a few questions but no major objections.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The first clip is of some guy, a few years older than us, running away from an officer.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Research commissioned by Marie Curie found , externalthat while 70% of people feel comfortable talking about death, far fewer have actually had those conversations with family, friends or healthcare professionals.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Victimized museums are often compelled to cope by closing indefinitely or reopening with fewer treasures on view.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
And when you are online, which is unavoidable for many of us, try to remember that you are probably interacting with fewer humans than you might think.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
Some Vatican insiders think Leo's illness might "shift his priorities", meaning fewer trips and more appointments, Corre said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
There are fewer Circus Dinners now that the circus itself is up and running properly, gaining its self-sufficiency, as Chandresh phrased it at one dinner not long after opening night.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Manchester United have just six points from their opening six games of the Premier League season, their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1986-87, when they amassed four under Sir Alex Ferguson.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 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
“The communities with the greatest need for expanded access to affordable bachelor’s degrees should not become the communities with the fewest options for creating them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Duckett's sole ton means England will end a six-Test home summer with their fewest number of individual hundreds.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Men and women alike sought ample delights with fewest sorrows.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
