fewer

American  

[fyoo-er] / ˈfyu ər /

adjective

1. of a smaller number.

   fewer words and more action.

---

pronoun

1. (used with a plural verb) a smaller number.

   Fewer have come than we hoped.

Commonly Confused

See less.

Etymology

Origin of fewer

Middle English feue, feawe. fewe fewere, Old English fēawera, genitive plural of fēawa few; -er ⁴ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Starting a company has never been easier or required fewer people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Around 40 percent of patients taking baxdrostat reached healthy blood pressure levels, compared with fewer than 20 percent in the placebo group.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

“If anything, we need additional funding to cover rising costs, not fewer, to maintain our current momentum,” the agency said Friday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

There are fewer people in the bureau, which has offices dispersed across the country, and they’re trying to tackle the same scale of data as they do in normal times.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

I point to a wider crossing with fewer whitecaps a short walk away.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera