determiner / pronoun / adjective
few
FYOO/fjuː/
Not many people or things.
Only a few strawberries lie on the otherwise empty plate.
Etymology
Old English feawe already meant “not many” and was always plural. The modern determiner preserves that small-number meaning, referring to people or things counted as a group.
In context
500 people on this small piece of land. Homes shops farms the school and government offices are all only a few minutes apart.
More examples
- I have a few questions.
- Only a few remained.
- We need fewer chairs this time.
Forms
few · fewer · fewest
Similar words
- a handful of
- An informal phrase emphasizing a small number; may sound more approximate.