few

American  

[fyoo] / fyu /

adjective

fewer, fewest

1. not many but more than one.

   Few artists live luxuriously.

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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.

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.

few British  

/ 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

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noun

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

   the few who fell at Thermopylae

few More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing few

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fewness
  noun
• overfew
  adjective

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

Few people do simmering panic as nimbly as Sarah Goldberg.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Few ideas in modern science have reshaped our understanding of reality more profoundly than space-time — the interwoven fabric of space and time at the heart of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.

From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026

Few public figures generate stronger reactions in New York, and his appearance — as it usually does — adds another layer of politics, spectacle and unpredictability to an event that already feels larger than sports.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026

Few, however, are expecting him to bend to the will of the hawks and support a rate increase anytime soon.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

“They sense the elation, the unexpected release. Few of us have shared any life as close as those ‘on location’ in the Civil Rights Movement.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• several
• some