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

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 discriminating 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

Brentford’s biggest issue over the past few years has been at left-back. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026

Newman said the landscaping industry has been affected by changing roles, fewer employees and cost. — Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026

More than a few people believe that, despite the messy route to get there, Penn State landed on the right guy. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

As of now, the focus appears to be the second half of the day, but there could be a few showers earlier as well. — Bill Kelly, CBS News, 14 Aug. 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