few

/fju:/ quanountifier, noun (plural)

1 a few/the few (no comparative) a small number (of): I've got a few books on gardening. | I'll pop into the supermarket and get a few bits and pieces. | only a few hundred yards past the crossroads | It's one of the few companies trying to tackle the problem. | a few of: I've read a few of her books. | a few more: There are a few more things I'd like to discuss. | a few minutes/the last few days/the next few years etc: George arrived a few minutes later. | Ignore this letter if you have paid in the last few days. | a few people: There were a few people sitting at the back of the hall. | only a very few (=not many)

2 quite a few/a good few/not a few a fairly large number: She must have cooked a good few dinners over the years.

3 not many; not enough: low-paid jobs that few people want | There may be few options open to you. | The meals are awful, but few complain. | Which one has the fewest mistakes? | few of: Very few of the staff come from the local area.

4 no fewer than used to emphasize how surprisingly large a number is; at least: I tried to contact him no fewer than ten times.

5 as few as used to emphasize how surprisingly small a number is: She can remember all the words accurately after reading it as few as three times

6 to name but a few used when you are mentioning only a small number of people or things as examples of a large group: I've visited many fascinating countries; Japan, India, Turkey, and Russia to name but a few.

7 the chosen few the small number of people to be invited or selected: Such information is made available only to the chosen few.

8 precious few (of) a very small number: Only a small percentage of the seeds germinated and precious few of those survived.

9 few and far between rare; not happening or available often: Jobs are few and far between at the moment.

10 have a few (too many) informal to have too much alcohol to drink: He looks as if he's had a few!

—opposite many USAGE NOTE : FEW WORD CHOICE: a few, few, a little, little When talking about amounts, you use (a) few with plural countable nouns, and (a) little with uncountable nouns. A few is positive and means a small number but not a lot: Yes, I do know a few words of French. | There are a few beers left in the fridge. Few is negative and means not many: I'm afraid I know few words of French. Few used alone is fairly formal, and you would most often use it with very: Very few people come here now. With words for time, a few is almost always used: after a few minutes | a few years before A little is positive and means some, but not a lot: Fortunately he still had a little money left. In more informal British English, a bit means the same thing: Don't worry, you've got a bit more time to get the work done. Little is negative and means `not much': Unfortunately he now had little money left. Again, this is fairly formal, and speakers often avoid using little on its own. You would normally say very little.