few
Americanadjective
noun
-
(used with a plural verb) a small number or amount.
Send me a few.
-
the few, a special, limited number; the minority.
That music appeals to the few.
pronoun
idioms
-
quite a few, a fairly large number; many.
There were quite a few interesting things to do.
-
few and far between, at widely separated intervals; infrequent.
In Nevada the towns are few and far between.
determiner
-
-
a small number of; hardly any
few men are so cruel
-
( as pronoun; functioning as plural )
many are called but few are chosen
-
-
(preceded by a)
-
a small number of
a few drinks
-
( as pronoun; functioning as plural )
a few of you
-
-
informal several
-
-
at great intervals; widely spaced
-
not abundant; scarce
-
-
to consume several ( or too many) alcoholic drinks
-
informal several
noun
Other Word Forms
- fewness noun
- overfew adjective
Etymology
Origin of few
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”
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.
The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.
From Los Angeles Times
But within a few months, the rapid development of Russia’s electronic-warfare capability rendered the Vector drones obsolete.
A few days later, he was surprised when the team told him he had been traded.
From Los Angeles Times
Here are just a few of the stars who posed for pictures ahead of the big night in Los Angeles.
From BBC
The cruise operator has had an eventful few weeks, abruptly changing its CEO and then facing pressure from Elliott.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
