less than

Idioms  

1. Not at all or hardly at all. For example, He had a less than favorable view of the matter, or She had a less than adequate grasp of the subject. This expression uses less in the sense of “a smaller quantity, number, or extent than is implied,” a usage dating from about a.d. 1000. The same sense appears in less than no time, a hyperbolic term for a very short time (as in Don't worry, he'll be here in less than no time) that dates from about 1800.

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Example Sentences

Less than three weeks before it burst, Indian and Swiss disaster experts journeyed to South Lhonak Lake to put up a weather monitoring station, the first step toward installing an early warning system.

From The Wall Street Journal

“If prices stayed at this level, it would mean an extra $11 billion in annual expense just for jet fuel. For perspective, in United’s best year ever, we made less than $5 billion,” Kirby said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The town, less than an hour north of Detroit, had a leg up in the contest for Magna because the land where the factory now stands had been partially set up as an industrial site two decades ago, aiming to attract new business.

From The Wall Street Journal

The base is less than 400 miles from Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I mean, once you start saying you’re going to tolerate 2%, that compounds pretty dramatically over time—and you’re saying to people if you’re getting less than 2% on your money, you’re going backwards.”

From Barron's