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

Earlier, as Florida’s attorney general, Bondi declined to join a lawsuit regarding fraud at Trump University, claiming that she had received few complaints; an Associated Press investigation found that there had in fact been scores.

From Salon

Ballon D’Or winner Rodri, one of those whose absence is most keenly felt, will be at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, although his involvement will be limited to saying a few hellos as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.

From BBC

“Also, the party in control of each chamber would have to exercise strict party discipline when they have just a few votes advantage, since each member of Congress effectively has a veto. We saw this with the current Republican control of the House and Democrat control of the Senate.”

From Salon

“The team, it’s making this long run and having this phenomenal success, probably a few of us won’t be here for next season. That’s part of the business,” said Sánchez, who turned 34 on Thursday with six weeks left on his contract.

From Los Angeles Times

“On January 20,” Kennedy tweeted a few days before the election, “the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• several
• some