few

[ fyoo ]

adjective

, few·er, few·est.

1. not many but more than one:

   Few artists live luxuriously.

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.

few

/ 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. a good few informal.
   several
4. few and far between
   1. at great intervals; widely spaced
   2. not abundant; scarce
5. have a few or have a few too many
   to consume several ( or too many) alcoholic drinks
6. not a few or quite a few informal.
   several

noun

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

   the few who fell at Thermopylae

Usage

See less

Derived Forms

• ˈfewness, noun

Other Words From

• over·few adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of few¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of few¹

Old English fēawa ; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. few and far between, at widely separated intervals; infrequent:

   In Nevada the towns are few and far between.

2. quite a few, a fairly large number; many:

   There were quite a few interesting things to do.

More idioms and phrases containing few

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

Example Sentences

Hoffman was one of a few business moguls who seemed to have sway at the Harris campaign, attending meetings like “Business Leaders for Harris,” which featured both the billionaire and campaign staff like policy director Grace Landrieu and campaign deputy chief of staff Sergio Gonzalez, as reported by The American Prospect.

From Salon

Instead, it was conjured into existence by artificial intelligence and featured a few otherworldly touches, like a snowy village melting into a Coke bottle here, or a gingerbread house animating itself there.

From Salon

Few would back against Salah being third on that list by the end of the season.

From BBC

Recently, there has been a debate on social media around whether people should sing along in cinemas, sparked by the release of Wicked a few days ago.

From BBC

Gaetz doesn't seem content to hawk $500 pep talks, however, and he hinted at a few political futures on X.

From Salon

Related Words

• several
• some