few

1 of 4

pronoun

ˈfyü 

plural in construction

: not many persons or things

few were present

few of his stories are true

few

2 of 4

adjective

1

: consisting of or amounting to only a small number

one of our few pleasures

2

: at least some but indeterminately small in number

—used with a

caught a few fish

fewness noun

see also:

few and far between quite a few

few

3 of 4

noun (1)

plural in construction

1

: a small number of units or individuals

a few of them

2

: a special limited number

the lucky few who were invited

see also:

quite a few

fewness

4 of 4

noun (2)

few·​ness

plural -es

1

: the state of being few : paucity

2

: smallness in amount or quantity

according to the fewness of years

—Leviticus 25:16 (Authorized Version)

Synonyms of few

Noun (1)

• handful
• couple

Examples of few in a Sentence

Adjective

He caught fewer fish than the rest of us.

There are fewer children at the school this year.

Not many people came, but the few people who did enjoyed themselves.

Noun (1)

a few of the songs on the album are good, but most are forgettable

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The impact jostled loose a few petals before the circle of blossoms slowly drifted away on the luminescent blue Bermudian swells. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Here are a few of the fronts on which that undeclared war is being fought, with devastating consequences for the next generation of Americans. — David Wippman, Washington Post, 11 Sep. 2026

And while some of boxing’s greats have had superb lead hooks — think Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Robinson, Roy Jones Jr and Roberto Duran, to name just a few — Garcia’s is up there with the best of them. — Chris McKenna, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The lull in launches means fewer customer payments and lower revenue. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun and Adjective

Middle English fewe, pronoun & adjective, from Old English fēawa; akin to Old High German fō little, Latin paucus little, pauper poor, Greek paid-, pais child, Sanskrit putra son

Noun (2)

Middle English fewenesse, from Old English fēawnes, fēanes, from fēawa, fēa few + -nes -ness

First Known Use

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing few

• a few bob
• a good few
• as few as
• few and far between
• few if any
• have a few
• have a few minutes/moments
• have a few too many
• keeps a few tricks up his sleeve
• man/woman of few words
• of few words
• quite a few
• say a few words
• the/a chosen few

Rhymes for few

• blew
• blue
• boo
• brew
• chew
• chou
• clue
• coo
• coup
• crew
• cue
• dew

Kids Definition

few

1 of 3 pronoun

ˈfyü 

: not many persons or things

—used in plural

few were present

few

2 of 3 adjective

1

: amounting to only a small number

one of the few sports I play

2

: not many but some

caught a few fish

fewness noun

few

3 of 3 noun

1

: a small number of units or individuals

a few of them

2

: a special limited number

the select few