cuento

(used with a plural verb) a small number or amount:
"Send me a few."


3.

the few, a special, limited number; the minority:
"That music appeals to the few."


pronoun


4.

(used with a plural verb) a small number of persons or things:
"A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up."


Idioms


5.

few and far between, at widely separated intervals;infrequent:
"In Nevada the towns are few and far between."


6.

quite a few, a fairly large number; many
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


Related forms Expand


overfew, adjective


Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random HouseDictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014.
Cite This Source


Examples from the web for few Expand

In-flight brought some pleasant surprises and also a few more kinks.
But the process of building the new garden turned into an adventure with a few unforeseen twists.
If rain doesn't do the job for you, moisten the bed thoroughly a few days before you intend to plant.Expand


British Dictionary definitions for few Expand




few


/fjuː/



determiner


1.

a.a small number of; hardly any: few men are so cruel
b.(as pronoun; functioning as plural): many are called but few are chosen


2.

(preceded by a) a.a small number of: a few drinks
b.(as pronoun; functioning as plural): a few of you


3.

(informal) a good few, several4.

few and far between a.at great intervals; widely spaced
b.not abundant; scarce


5.

have a few, have a few too many, to consume several (or too many) alcoholic drinks


6.

(informal) not a few, quite a few, several

noun


7.

the few, a small number of people considered as a class: the few who fell at Thermopylae Compare many (sense 4)



Derived Formsfewness, noun





less


Word Origin


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



Expand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source


Word Origin andHistory for few Expand



adj.


Old English feawe (plural; contracted to fea) "few, seldom, even a little," from Proto-Germanic *faw-, from PIE root *pau- (1) "few, little" (cf. Latin paucus "few, little," paullus "little," parvus "little, small," pauper "poor;" Greek pauros "few, little," pais (genitive paidos) "child;" Latin puer "child, boy," pullus "young animal;" Oscan puklu "child;"Sanskrit potah "a young animal," putrah "son;" Old English fola "young horse;" Old Norse fylja "young female horse;" Old Church Slavonic puta "bird;" Lithuanian putytis "young animal, young bird"). Always plural in Old English.

Phrase few and far between attested from 1660s. Unusual ironic use in quite a few "many" (1883), earlier a good few (1828). The noun is late 12c., fewe, from theadjective.

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. [Winston Churchill, 1940]


Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source


Idioms and Phrases with few Expand



few





few and far between
few bricks shy of a load
few words


also see: a few
bricks shy of a load, (a few)
of few words
precious few
quite abit (few)



The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source



Discover our greatest slideshows


Five English Words That Are Utterly...



Be Very Afraid: 8 Monsters of...




7 Spooky Words for Halloween



Q Without U: 9 Must-Know Terms for......