less than

Idioms

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.

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.

While some operations thrive, less than 5% of farms are profitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

The frenzy in memory-chip stocks continued on Wednesday as South Korea’s SK Hynix took less than 24 hours to join American peer Micron Technology in the $1 trillion valuation club.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

But after serving less than a year of his five-year sentence he was paroled and released due to overcrowding.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

That’s less than one-tenth the price of a Luce, but about $6,000 more than the price of a new gasoline-powered car.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

The flash of light came again less than ten feet, but this time it didn’t go out immediately.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023