plural in construction
: not many persons or things
few were present
few of his stories are true
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
plural in construction
1
: a small number of units or individuals
a few of them
2
: a special limited number
the discriminating few
Synonyms
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
a few of the songs on the album are good, but most are forgettable
Recent Examples on the Web
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 4 July 2024
In fewer than three years BART expansion cost estimates have risen from $6.9 billion to $12.8 billion.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 4 July 2024
Labour’s first election was in 1900, and its first few totals of seats were low.
—NBC News, 4 July 2024
Since Biden's poor debate performance, Trump has laid low, making few public appearances or public statements.
—Nathan Layne, Tim Reid, USA TODAY, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for few 
Adjective
In the past few minutes, the BBC has reported that Gavin Plumb was found guilty after an eight-day trial of assembling a tool kit to use for highly sexualised violence against the former This Morning presenter.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 4 July 2024
In fewer than three years BART expansion cost estimates have risen from $6.9 billion to $12.8 billion.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 4 July 2024
Labour’s first election was in 1900, and its first few totals of seats were low.
—NBC News, 4 July 2024
Since Biden's poor debate performance, Trump has laid low, making few public appearances or public statements.
—Nathan Layne, Tim Reid, USA TODAY, 4 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for few
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'few.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near few
Cite this Entry
“Few.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/few. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
few
1 of 3 pronoun
: not many persons or things
—used in plural
few were present
few
2 of 3 adjective1
: 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 noun1
: a small number of units or individuals
a few of them
2
: a special limited number
the select few
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