few

1 of 3

pronoun

ˈfyü 

plural in construction

: not many persons or things

few were present

few of his stories are true

few

2 of 3

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 3

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 of few

Noun

• 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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Besides the driver, an amiable man who was happy to explain how the shredder worked, only a few nervous schoolchildren stood around, supervised by a woman with a badge that identified her as an envoy of the library. —Mary Norris, New Yorker, 1 May 2026

The fans are sure to clock in for its extra nuggets of lore, but there are few reasons for a non-Slimehead to take the plunge. —Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 1 May 2026

The 76ers have come up with back-to-back resounding victories to force a Game 7 that did not look feasible a few days ago. —Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 1 May 2026

When Kentucky Derby Day comes around this May, a select few will slip behind closed doors to the discreet confines of an exclusive club beyond Millionaires Row. —Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 30 Apr. 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

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

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