few
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few
(fyo͞o)adj. few·er, few·est
1. Amounting to or consisting of a small number: one of my few bad habits. See Usage Note at less.
2. Being more than one but indefinitely small in number: bowled a few strings.
n. (used with a pl. verb)
1. An indefinitely small number of persons or things: A few of the books have torn jackets.
2. An exclusive or limited number: the discerning few; the fortunate few.
pron. (used with a pl. verb)
A small number of persons or things: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).
few′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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. a good few informal several
4. 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. not a few quite a few informal several
n
the few a small number of people considered as a class: the few who fell at Thermopylae. Compare many4
[Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent]
ˈfewness n
Usage: See at less
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
few
(fyu)adj. -er, -est,
n., pron. adj.
1. not many but more than one: Few artists live luxuriously.
n. 2. (used with a pl. v.) a small number or amount: Send me a few.
3. the few, a special, limited number; the minority: music that appeals to the few.
pron. 4. (used with a pl. v.) a small number of persons or things.
Idioms: 1. few and far between, placed at widely separated intervals; not plentiful.
2. quite a few, a fairly large number; many.
[before 900; Middle English fewe, fēal; Old English fēawe; c. Old Saxon faho, fā little, Old High German fao, fō, Old Norse fārs, Gothic fawai few]
few′ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
few
– a few1. used in front of nouns
Few and a few are both used in front of nouns, but they do not have the same meaning. You use a few simply to show that you are talking about a small number of people or things.
I'm having a dinner party for a few close friends.
Here are a few ideas that might help you.
When you use few without 'a', you are emphasizing that there are only a small number of people or things of a particular kind. So, for example, if you say 'I have a few friends', you are simply saying that you have some friends. However, if you say 'I have few friends', you are saying that you do not have enough friends and are lonely.
There were few resources available.
2. used as pronouns
Few and a few can be used in a similar way as pronouns.
Doctors work an average of 90 hours a week, while a few work up to 120 hours.
Many were invited but few came.
3. 'not many'
In conversation and in less formal writing, people don't usually use few without 'a'. Instead they use not many. For example, instead of saying 'I have few friends', people usually say 'I haven't got many friends' or 'I don't have many friends'.
They haven't got many books.
I don't have many visitors.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'few' or 'a few' when you are talking about a small amount of something. Don't say, for example, 'Would you like a few more milk in your tea?' You say 'Would you like a little more milk in your tea?'
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  few - a small elite group; "it was designed for the discriminating few"elite, elite group - a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status |
| Adj. | 1. | few - a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `a'; a small but indefinite number; "a few weeks ago"; "a few more wagons than usual"; "an invalid's pleasures are few and far between"; "few roses were still blooming"; "few women have led troops in battle" fewer - (comparative of `few' used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of; "fewer birds came this year"; "the birds are fewer this year"; "fewer trains were late" some - quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity; "have some milk"; "some roses were still blooming"; "having some friends over"; "some apples"; "some paper" many - a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `as' or `too' or `so' or `that'; amounting to a large but indefinite number; "many temptations"; "the temptations are many"; "a good many"; "a great many"; "many directions"; "take as many apples as you like"; "too many clouds to see"; "never saw so many people" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
few
determiner
1. not many, one or two, hardly any, scarcely any, rare, thin, scattered, insufficient, scarce, scant, meagre, negligible, sporadic, sparse, infrequent, scanty, inconsiderable In some districts there are few survivors.
not many many, divers (archaic), abundant, plentiful, sundry, manifold, inexhaustible, multifarious, bounteous
not many many, divers (archaic), abundant, plentiful, sundry, manifold, inexhaustible, multifarious, bounteous
pronoun
few and far between scarce, rare, unusual, scattered, irregular, uncommon, in short supply, hard to come by, infrequent, thin on the ground, widely spaced, seldom met with Successful women politicians were few and far between.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
بِضْعَةقَليلقَلِيل مِن
poc
máloněkolikpár
fåikke ret mange
malmulta
vähe
harvamuutamavähän
malomalobrojannekolicina
kevés
sedikit
fáir
少しの少数
약간의적은
labai nedaugmažainedaug
biežievery few minutesmaznedaudz
poucospoucas
nekaj
få
จำนวนน้อยน้อย
az sayıdabirkaç
ítmột vài
few
[fjuː] ADJ & PRON (fewer (compar) (fewest (superl)))1. (= not many) → pocos/as
few books → pocos libros
few of them → pocos (de ellos)
only a few → sólo unos pocos
only a few of them came → sólo vinieron unos pocos
there are very few of us; we are very few → somos muy pocos
few (people) managed to do it → muy pocos consiguieron hacerlo
the few who → los pocos que ...
she is one of the few (people) who → ella es una de los pocos que ...
such men are few → hay pocos hombres así
as few as three of them → nada más que tres
every few weeks → cada dos o tres semanas
with few exceptions → con pocas excepciones
they are few and far between → son contados
the lucky few → unos pocos or unos cuantos afortunados
in or over the next few days → en or durante los próximos días, en estos días (LAm)
in or over the past few days → en or durante los últimos días
the last or remaining few minutes → el poco tiempo que queda/quedaba
too few → demasiado pocos
there were three too few → faltaban tres
few books → pocos libros
few of them → pocos (de ellos)
only a few → sólo unos pocos
only a few of them came → sólo vinieron unos pocos
there are very few of us; we are very few → somos muy pocos
few (people) managed to do it → muy pocos consiguieron hacerlo
the few who → los pocos que ...
she is one of the few (people) who → ella es una de los pocos que ...
such men are few → hay pocos hombres así
as few as three of them → nada más que tres
every few weeks → cada dos o tres semanas
with few exceptions → con pocas excepciones
they are few and far between → son contados
the lucky few → unos pocos or unos cuantos afortunados
in or over the next few days → en or durante los próximos días, en estos días (LAm)
in or over the past few days → en or durante los últimos días
the last or remaining few minutes → el poco tiempo que queda/quedaba
too few → demasiado pocos
there were three too few → faltaban tres
2. (= some, several) a few → algunos
a good few quite a few → bastantes
a good few or quite a few (people) came → vinieron bastantes, vino bastante gente
he'd had a few (drinks) → llevaba ya una copa de más
a few more → algunos más
(in) a few more days → dentro de unos pocos días
a few of them → algunos de ellos
quite a few
see a good few
a good few quite a few → bastantes
a good few or quite a few (people) came → vinieron bastantes, vino bastante gente
he'd had a few (drinks) → llevaba ya una copa de más
a few more → algunos más
(in) a few more days → dentro de unos pocos días
a few of them → algunos de ellos
quite a few
see a good few
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
few
[ˈfjuː] adj
(not many) → peu de
few books → peu de livres
as few as → tout au plus
as few as two or three → deux ou trois tout au plus
few in number
They were few in number → Ils étaient peu (nombreux)., Il y en avait peu.
to be few and far between → être rare
They are few and far between → Ils sont rares.
very few (+ noun) → très peu de
very few people → très peu de gens
only a few (+ noun) → seulement quelques
only a few hours → seulement quelques heures
few books → peu de livres
as few as → tout au plus
as few as two or three → deux ou trois tout au plus
few in number
They were few in number → Ils étaient peu (nombreux)., Il y en avait peu.
to be few and far between → être rare
They are few and far between → Ils sont rares.
very few (+ noun) → très peu de
very few people → très peu de gens
only a few (+ noun) → seulement quelques
only a few hours → seulement quelques heures
(= some) a few → quelques
a few hours → quelques heures
in the next few days → dans les jours qui viennent
in the past few days → ces derniers jours
every few days → tous les deux ou trois jours
every few months → tous les deux ou trois mois
a few more ... → encore quelques ..., quelques ... de plus
We waited a few more days → Nous avons attendu encore quelques jours., Nous avons attendu quelques jours de plus.
There were a few more of us at the second meeting → Nous étions quelques uns de plus à la deuxième réunion.
quite a few ..., a good few ... → pas mal de ...
quite a few people → pas mal de monde
not a few ... → bien des ...
every few → tous les deux ou trois
every few minutes → toutes les deux ou trois minutes
a few hours → quelques heures
in the next few days → dans les jours qui viennent
in the past few days → ces derniers jours
every few days → tous les deux ou trois jours
every few months → tous les deux ou trois mois
a few more ... → encore quelques ..., quelques ... de plus
We waited a few more days → Nous avons attendu encore quelques jours., Nous avons attendu quelques jours de plus.
There were a few more of us at the second meeting → Nous étions quelques uns de plus à la deuxième réunion.
quite a few ..., a good few ... → pas mal de ...
quite a few people → pas mal de monde
not a few ... → bien des ...
every few → tous les deux ou trois
every few minutes → toutes les deux ou trois minutes
pron
(not many) → peu
Few succeed → Il y en a peu qui réussissent., (Bien) peu réussissent.
very few → très peu
Very few survive → Très peu survivent.
only a few → quelques-uns seulement(quelques-unes)
"How many?" - "Only a few." → "Combien?" - "Quelques-uns seulement."
A strict diet is appropriate for only a few → Un régime strict est recommandé à quelques-uns seulement.
Few succeed → Il y en a peu qui réussissent., (Bien) peu réussissent.
very few → très peu
Very few survive → Très peu survivent.
only a few → quelques-uns seulement(quelques-unes)
"How many?" - "Only a few." → "Combien?" - "Quelques-uns seulement."
A strict diet is appropriate for only a few → Un régime strict est recommandé à quelques-uns seulement.
(= some) a few → quelques-uns(quelques-unes)
"How many apples do you want?" - "A few." → "Tu veux combien de pommes?" - "Quelques-unes."
I know a few → J'en connais quelques-uns.
a few of → quelques-uns des(quelques-unes)
a few of the teachers → quelques-uns des professeurs
a few of us → quelques-uns d'entre nous(quelques-unes)
a few of them → quelques-uns d'entre eux(quelques-unes)
a few more ... → quelques ... de plus
I'd like a few more → J'en voudrais quelques-uns de plus.(quelques-unes)
quite a few, a good few → un bon nombre
"How many?" - "Quite a few." → "Combien?" - "Un bon nombre."
not a few (= people) → pas mal de gens
he's had a few, he's had a few too many (= a lot to drink) → il a pas mal bu
"How many apples do you want?" - "A few." → "Tu veux combien de pommes?" - "Quelques-unes."
I know a few → J'en connais quelques-uns.
a few of → quelques-uns des(quelques-unes)
a few of the teachers → quelques-uns des professeurs
a few of us → quelques-uns d'entre nous(quelques-unes)
a few of them → quelques-uns d'entre eux(quelques-unes)
a few more ... → quelques ... de plus
I'd like a few more → J'en voudrais quelques-uns de plus.(quelques-unes)
quite a few, a good few → un bon nombre
"How many?" - "Quite a few." → "Combien?" - "Un bon nombre."
not a few (= people) → pas mal de gens
he's had a few, he's had a few too many (= a lot to drink) → il a pas mal bu
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
few
adj (+er)
(= not many) → wenige; few people come to see him → nur wenige Leute besuchen ihn; with few exceptions → mit wenigen Ausnahmen; we are very few → wir sind nur sehr wenige or nur ein kleines Häufchen; few and far between → dünn gesät; as few as ten cigarettes a day can be harmful → schon or bereits zehn Zigaretten am Tag können schädlich sein; as few as six objections → bloß sechs Einwände, nicht mehr als sechs Einwände; how few they are! → wie wenige das sind!; so few books → so wenige Bücher; too few cakes → zu wenige Kuchen; there were 3 too few → es waren 3 zu wenig da; 10 would not be too few → 10 wären nicht zu wenig; he is one of the few people who … → er ist einer der wenigen, die …; the exceptions are few → es gibt nur wenige Ausnahmen; such occasions are few → solche Gelegenheiten sind selten or rar
a few → ein paar; a very few → nur ganz wenige; a few more days → noch ein paar Tage; a few times → ein paar Male; there were quite a few waiting → ziemlich viele warteten; he has quite a few girlfriends → er hat eine ganze Menge or ziemlich viele Freundinnen; he’s had a few (too many) → er hat einen über den Durst getrunken; quite a few books → ziemlich viele Bücher, eine ganze Menge Bücher; I saw a good few or quite a few people → ich habe ziemlich viele Leute or eine ganze Menge Leute gesehen; not a few people → nicht wenige Leute; we’ll go in a few minutes → wir gehen in ein paar Minuten; in the next/past few days → in den nächsten/letzten paar Tagen; every few days → alle paar Tage
pron
(= not many) → wenige; few of them came → wenige von ihnen kamen; some few → gar nicht so wenige; the Few Kampfflieger, die an der Luftschlacht um England im zweiten Weltkrieg teilnahmen; the lucky few → die wenigen Glücklichen; opera used to be an experience for the few → Opern waren früher einer privilegierten Minderheit vorbehalten; as few as you → genauso wenig wie du; how few there are! → wie wenige das sind!; however few there may be → wie wenig auch immer da ist; I’ve got so/too few as it is → ich habe sowieso schon so/zu wenig(e); so few have been sold → so wenige sind bis jetzt verkauft worden; there are too few of you → ihr seid zu wenige
a few → ein paar; I’ll just take a few → ich nehme nur ein paar; a few more → ein paar mehr; quite a few → eine ganze Menge; quite a few did not believe him → eine ganze Menge Leute or ziemlich viele Leute glaubten ihm nicht; some few → einige; there are always the few who … → es gibt immer einige wenige Leute or ein paar Leute, die …; the few who knew him → die wenigen, die ihn kannten
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
few
[fjuː] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) prona. (not many) → pochi/e
few books → pochi libri
few of them → pochi di loro
few (people) managed to do it → pochi riuscirono a farlo
few succeed → pochi ci riescono
she is one of the few (people) who ... → è una delle poche persone che...
the few who ... → i pochi che...
in or over the past few days → in questi ultimi giorni, negli ultimi giorni
in or over the next few days → nei prossimi giorni
every few days/months → ogni due o tre giorni/mesi
with few exceptions → con or salvo poche eccezioni
every few weeks → a intervalli di qualche settimana
they are few and far between → sono rari
there are very few of us or we are very few → siamo pochi
the last or remaining few minutes → i pochi minuti che rimangono
as few as three of them → solo tre di loro
too few → troppo pochi
there were three too few → ne mancavano tre
few books → pochi libri
few of them → pochi di loro
few (people) managed to do it → pochi riuscirono a farlo
few succeed → pochi ci riescono
she is one of the few (people) who ... → è una delle poche persone che...
the few who ... → i pochi che...
in or over the past few days → in questi ultimi giorni, negli ultimi giorni
in or over the next few days → nei prossimi giorni
every few days/months → ogni due o tre giorni/mesi
with few exceptions → con or salvo poche eccezioni
every few weeks → a intervalli di qualche settimana
they are few and far between → sono rari
there are very few of us or we are very few → siamo pochi
the last or remaining few minutes → i pochi minuti che rimangono
as few as three of them → solo tre di loro
too few → troppo pochi
there were three too few → ne mancavano tre
b. (some, several) a few → alcuni/e, qualche
a few books → alcuni libri, qualche libro
I know a few → ne conosco alcuni
a few of them → alcuni di loro
a few more days → qualche altro giorno
in a few more days → fra qualche giorno
a good few or quite a few → parecchi
a good few or quite a few books → parecchi libri, un bel po' di libri
a good few or quite a few (people) came → parecchie persone sono venute
a few books → alcuni libri, qualche libro
I know a few → ne conosco alcuni
a few of them → alcuni di loro
a few more days → qualche altro giorno
in a few more days → fra qualche giorno
a good few or quite a few → parecchi
a good few or quite a few books → parecchi libri, un bel po' di libri
a good few or quite a few (people) came → parecchie persone sono venute
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
few
(fjuː) adjective, pronoun not many; a very small number of. Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.
a few a small number (emphasizing that there are indeed some). There are a few books in this library about geology; We have only a few left.
few and far between very few. Interesting jobs are few and far between.
few means `not many'.
a few means `some'.
see also less.
a few means `some'.
see also less.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
few
→ بِضْعَة, قَلِيل مِن málo, několik få wenige λίγοι, λίγος poco, pocos harva, muutama peu, quelques-uns malobrojan, nekolicina pochi 少しの, 少数 약간의, 적은 een paar, enkele få, noen få mało, niewielu poucos некоторые, немногие få จำนวนน้อย, น้อย birkaç ít, một vài 不多的, 几乎没有Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
few
adj (comp less; super least) pocoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.