Definition of the word few - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

See also: Few

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”).

Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”), Old Norse fár (“few”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (faus, “few”), Latin paucus (“little, few”) (whence English pauper, poor etc.). More at poor.

Pronunciation[edit]

(UK) IPA^(key): /fjuː/, [fjʉː], [fjʉ͡u]
(US) IPA^(key): /fju/
Rhymes: -uː
Homophone: phew (phonemically)

Determiner[edit]

few (comparative fewer or less, superlative fewest or least)

(preceded by another determiner) An indefinite, but usually small, number of.
- 2013 August 10, “A new prescription”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
  
  No sooner has a [synthetic] drug been blacklisted than chemists adjust their recipe and start churning out a subtly different one. These “legal highs” are sold for the few months it takes the authorities to identify and ban them, and then the cycle begins again.
There are a few cars (=some, but a relatively small number) in the street.

Quite a few people (=a significant number) were pleasantly surprised.

I think he’s had a few drinks. [This usage is likely ironic.]
(used alone) Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.

There are very few people who understand quantum theory.

I was expecting a big crowd at the party, but very few people (=almost none) turned up.
- c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:
  
  Your men are valiant but their number few,
  And cannot terrifie his mightie hoſt, […]
(meteorology, of clouds) Obscuring one to two oktas (eighths) of the sky.

Tonight: A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight.

NOAA definition of the term «few clouds»: An official sky cover classification for aviation weather observations, descriptive of a sky cover of 1/8 to 2/8. This is applied only when obscuring phenomena aloft are present—that is, not when obscuring phenomena are surface-based, such as fog.
(meteorology, of rainfall with regard to a location) (US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.

Usage notes[edit]

Few is used with plural nouns only; its synonymous counterpart little is used with uncountable nouns.

Although indefinite in nature, a few is usually more than two (two often being referred to as «a couple of»), and less than «several». If the sample population is say between 5 and 20, a few would mean three or four, but no more than this. However, if the population sample size were in the millions, a few could refer to several hundred items. In other words, few in this context means a very very small percentage but far more than the 3 or 4 usually ascribed to it in its use with much much smaller numbers.

Few is grammatically affirmative but semantically negative, and it can license negative polarity items. For example, anything usually cannot be used in affirmative sentences, but can be used in sentences with few.

He didn’t do anything to help us.
*He did anything to help us. (ungrammatical)
Few people did anything to help us.
*A few people did anything to help us. (ungrammatical, since a few is a different unit of meaning from few and does not license NPIs)

Few alone emphasises smallness of number, while a few emphasises some. For example: He’s a dull man with few ideas; He’s a clever man with a few ideas.

Synonyms[edit]

little (see usage)

Antonyms[edit]

many

Derived terms[edit]

a few
a few clowns short of a circus
a few fries short of a Happy Meal
a few roos loose in the top paddock
a few spanners short of a tool box
a good few
cover-few
few and far between
few cards short of a full deck
few cards shy of a full deck
few sandwiches short of a picnic
few-flowered sedge
few-shot learning
have a few
have a few too many
in a few shakes
man of few words
pull a few strings
quite a few
some few
to name a few
woman of few words
you’ve got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette

[edit]

paucity
poor

Translations[edit]

indefinite, usually small number

Adyghe: макӏэ (maakʼe)
Albanian: pak (sq), i fijë
Arabic: قَلِيل‎ (ar) (qalīl)

Egyptian Arabic: قليل‎ (ʾalīl), شوية‎ (šuwayya)

Hijazi Arabic: قَليل‎ (galīl), شُوَيَّة‎ (šuwayya)
Armenian: քիչ (hy) (kʿičʿ), սակավ (hy) (sakav)
Azerbaijani: az (az)
Balinese: kikit
Bashkir: әҙ (äð), аҙ (að)
Belarusian: ма́ла (be) (mála), не́калькі (be) (njékalʹki), няшма́т (njašmát), нямно́га (njamnóha)
Bengali: কম (kom)
Bulgarian: ма́лко (bg) (málko)
Burmese: နည်း (my) (nany:)
Catalan: poc (ca)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 少 (zh) (shǎo), 一些 (zh) (yīxiē)

Min Dong: 少 (jiu)
Czech: málo (cs), trochu (cs), jen pár
Danish: få (da)
Dutch: weinig (nl)
Esperanto: malmulta (eo)
Estonian: vähe (et), vähesed
Finnish: harva (fi), muutama (fi), jokunen (fi)
French: peu (fr)
Friulian: pôc
Georgian: ცოტა (coṭa)
German: wenig (de)
Gothic: 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (faus)
Greek: λίγοι (pl. of λίγος (el) (lígos)), μερικοί (el) (merikoí)

Ancient: ὀλίγος (olígos)
Guaraní: mbovy
Hawaiian: kakaikahi
Hebrew: אֲחָדִים‎ m pl (akhadím)
Hindi: कुछ (hi) (kuch), अल्प (hi) (alp), न्यून (hi) (nyūn)
Hungarian: kevés (hu)
Icelandic: fáir
Ido: poka (io)
Indonesian: sedikit (id)
Irish: beag, beagán (ga)

Old Irish: úathad n, terc
Istriot: puoco
Italian: poco (it)
Japanese: 少し (ja) (すこし, sukoshi)
Kabardian: мащӏэ (maaśʼe)
Kazakh: аз (kk) (az)
Khmer: តិច (km) (təc)
Korean: 적다 (ko) (jeokda), 조금 (ko) (jogeum)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: کەم‎ (ckb) (kem)
Kyrgyz: аз (ky) (az)
Lao: ນ້ອຍ (nǭi)
Latgalian: nazcik, kuri nakuri, drupeit
Latin: paucus
Latvian: nedaudz, daži
Lithuanian: nedaug
Lombard: poo (lmo), pu (lmo)
Macedonian: ма́лку (mk) (málku)
Malay: sedikit (ms)
Maori: okotahi, ruarua, toru toru, itiiti, kōtahitahi, ngōuruuru, ouou, tokoiti (refers only to people), tokoitiiti (Refers only to people)
Mongolian: хэдэн (xeden)
Norwegian: få (no), noen (no)
Occitan: pauc (oc)
Old Turkic: 𐰀𐰕‎ (āz)
Ottoman Turkish: آز‎ (az)
Papiamentu: poko
Pashto: لږ‎ (ps) (lëģ)
Persian: کم‎ (fa) (kam), اندک‎ (fa) (andak)
Polish: mało (pl), niewiele (pl)
Portuguese: poucos (pt) m, poucas (pt) f
Romagnol: pöc
Romanian: puțin (ro), puțini, puține
Romansch: pauc
Russian: немно́гий (ru) (nemnógij) (used in plural), ма́ло (ru) (málo), не́сколько (ru) (néskolʹko)
Sanskrit: ईषत् (sa) (īṣat), स्वल्प (sa) (svalpa)
Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic: мало

Roman: malo (sh)
Sicilian: pocu (scn)
Sindhi: ٿورا‎
Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
Slovak: málo (sk), zopár, niekoľko
Slovene: malo (sl), nekaj (sl)
Sorbian:

Lower Sorbian: mało
Spanish: poco (es)
Sundanese: sakedik
Swedish: få (sv)
Tajik: кам (tg) (kam)
Tarantino: pìcche
Tatar: аз (tt) (az)
Telugu: కొద్ది (te) (koddi), కొలది (te) (koladi)
Thai: น้อย (th) (nɔ́ɔi)
Tocharian B: totka
Turkish: az (tr)
Turkmen: az (tk)
Ukrainian: ма́ло (uk) (málo), кі́лька (uk) (kílʹka), небага́то (nebaháto)
Urdu: کچھ‎ (kuch), کم‎ (kam)
Uzbek: oz (uz)
Venetian: puòco, poco
Vietnamese: ít (vi)
Waray-Waray: gu-ti, di-to
Welsh: ychydig (cy)
Yagnobi: кам (kam)
Yiddish: ווייניק‎ (veynik), עטלעכע‎ (etlekhe)
Zealandic: weinig

small number

Arabic: قَلِيل‎ (ar) (qalīl)
Armenian: քիչ (hy) (kʿičʿ), սակավ (hy) (sakav)
Bulgarian: ма́лко (bg) (málko)
Burmese: နည်း (my) (nany:)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 少 (zh) (shǎo), 少數／少数 (zh) (shǎoshù)
Czech: málo (cs), několik (cs)
Estonian: vähe (et)
Finnish: vähän (fi), muutama (fi)
French: peu (fr)
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
Greek:

Ancient: ὀλίγος (olígos)
Hindi: कम (hi) (kam)
Icelandic: fár (is)
Indonesian: segelintir (id)
Irish: beag, beagán (ga)
Italian: pochi (it)
Japanese: わずか (ja) (wazuka), 少数 (ja) (しょうすう, shōsū)
Khmer: ប៉ុន្មាន (km) (ponmaan)
Kurdish:

Central Kurdish: کەم‎ (ckb) (kem), کەمێ‎ (kemê)
Latin: aliquot (la)
Macedonian: ма́лку (mk) (málku), малку́мина (malkúmina)
Maori: okotahi, ruarua, toru toru, itiiti, kōtahitahi, ngōuruuru, ouou, tokoiti (refers only to people), tokoitiiti (refers only to people)
Mongolian: цөөн (mn) (cöön), цөөхөн (cööxön), цөөн тооны (cöön toony)
Ngazidja Comorian: -shashi
Norwegian: få (no)
Persian: کم‎ (fa) (kam), وید‎ (fa) (veyd), اندک‎ (fa) (andak)
Polish: kilka (pl), parę (pl)
Portuguese: poucos (pt) m, poucas (pt) f
Russian: ма́ло (ru) (málo)
Sanskrit: ईषत् (sa) (īṣat), स्वल्प (sa) (svalpa)
Slovak: nemnohí m pl
Spanish: pocos (es) m, pocas (es) f
Swedish: fåtal (sv) n
Turkish: az (tr)
Urdu: کم‎ (kam)
Vietnamese: ít (vi)
Yiddish: ווייניק‎ (veynik), אַ פּאָר‎ (a por)
Zealandic: weinig

meteorology: obscuring 1-2 eighths of the sky

Translations to be checked

Pronoun[edit]

few

Few people, few things.

Many are called, but few are chosen.

Antonyms[edit]

many

Translations[edit]

few people, few things

Arabic: قَلِيل‎ (ar) (qalīl)
Finnish: harva (fi)
French: peu (fr)
Indonesian: sedikit (id)
Maori: tokoitiiti (refers only to people), tokoiti (refers only to people)
Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
Persian: اندک‎ (fa) (andak)
Sundanese: sakedik
Swedish: få (sv)
Tocharian B: totka

References[edit]

Meteorology (both senses)

NOAA Glossary: f

Middle English[edit]

Determiner[edit]

few

Alternative form of fewe

Источник

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sewing machines typically cost around a few hundred dollars, but the type and construction of the machine determines the price.

—Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Apr. 2023

As the fire consumed the plant, Irving thought of the teens on the basketball court, just a few hundred feet away from the plant and fire.

—USA Today, 10 Apr. 2023

But the past few months have been rough, with foot traffic around half of pre-pandemic levels and relentless, record-breaking storms discouraging shoppers from going outside.

—Roland Li, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Apr. 2023

The next few months will be big for offshore wind in America, and RI is playing a key role.

—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023

The tornado, the strongest in Los Angeles County since 1983, landed as winter transitioned into spring, embodying the whirlwind of California’s extreme weather in the last few months.

—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2023

Some analysts are less sure Mr. Ueda will jolt markets with a policy shift in his first few months.

—Megumi Fujikawa, WSJ, 10 Apr. 2023

Ukraine’s soldiers made a tactical retreat of a few hundred yards and now hold a commanding position in a trench overlooking the sunflower field.

—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023

While the Pistons’ season was doomed after Cunningham’s season-ending surgery in December, the long list of injuries were a significant factor in the awful final few months.

—Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2023

The combo pairs late-season heli-skiing with fishing for king salmon, an impressive Alaska double few can claim to have pulled off.

—Mike Campbell, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2020

Only a small portion of COVID-19 patients get sick enough to require ventilation—but for the unlucky few who do, data out of China and New York City suggest upward of 80% do not recover.

—Jamie Ducharme, Time, 16 Apr. 2020

According to the Pew Research Center, more than 70 percent of Polish citizens held a favorable few of the E.U. last year, compared to 48 percent in the United Kingdom.

—Washington Post, 18 Dec. 2019

Until Kansas City’s famed stockyards closed down in 1991, the city was pretty much wall-to-wall cows and pigs, few of whom were housebroken.

—Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, 22 Jan. 2020

In 2015, when the party came to power, migrants — few of whom were actually trying to enter Poland — were made targets.

—Marc Santora, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2019

But while most interior design professionals are familiar with the concept of biophilic design, many only recognize a limited few of the countless ways it can be implemented.

—Michelle Beganskas, Quartz, 3 Dec. 2019

This information did not leak until 2009 and there were few who allowed it to tarnish memories of the Sox’ magical championships of 2004 and 2007.

—BostonGlobe.com, 16 Nov. 2019

There were few of the latter, sung by Moctar, second guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane and, occasionally, bassist-producer Michael Coltun.

—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2019

See More

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.

Источник

— A few, a very _few_ weeks, and I am gone from him forever. ❋ Susannah Minific Gunning (N/A)

I wish I could place every one before my readers to receive the meed of praise she so richly deserves; only a few, _very few_, names now occur to me. ❋ Fannie A. Beers (N/A)

And even when these few were gathered together, and under the extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, many were added to them, and «the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul,» they were still comparatively but a _few_. ❋ Anonymous (N/A)

+Adversative+, meaning of (note) _A few, a little_, vs. _few_ and _little_ ❋ Brainerd Kellogg (N/A)

It is true, there were a few scraps of putrid fish in the boat, and Tom had found a fishing-line under the bottom-boards forward, so that, having a line and the wherewithal to bait it, they might possibly succeed in catching a _few_ fish. ❋ Harry Collingwood (1886)

The Saxon _few_ may have caught enough from its French cousin _peu_ to claim the benefit of the same doubt as to sound; and our slang phrase _a few_ (as ‘I licked him a few‘) may well appeal to _un peu_ for sense and authority. ❋ James Russell Lowell (1855)

In one part of Tartary, there is a chain of mountains, and there are a few towns, and trees, but _very few_. ❋ Favell Lee Mortimer (1840)

Our sage critics are not aware how many and whom they include in the denunciation of ‘a few men who _pretend_ to all the knowledge, all the wisdom of the country; ‘if by a _few_ they mean all who have spoken in the most favorable terms of Mr. Schoolcraft’s book. ❋ Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1828)

A few, _very few_ more opportunities for prayer, and reconciliation with God, and your account is sealed up. ❋ Austin Dickinson (1814)

Estimated time to implement Power Point in your centre •few weeks to come up with all your templates • few months for all staff members to feel comfortable ❋ Unknown (2009)

Even when brought by a strong hand, and an outstretched arm, attended by many palpable miracles which were wrought on their behalf, they were seated in the «Land flowing with milk and honey,» which had been promised to their fathers; how prone were they constantly to desert even the profession of their faith, and to serve the gods of the nations which they were sent to destroy; yet in all these times there were a few, and it was probably comparatively but a _few_, who had not bowed the knee to Baal. ❋ Anonymous (N/A)

Heorot), 714; fēara sumne (_some few, one of few_; or, _one of the foes_?), ❋ Robert Sharp (1879)

Heorot), 714; feára sumne (_some few, one of few_; or, _one of the foes_?), ❋ Robert Sharp (1879)

If Living on One Dollar can engage the masses to think about global poverty, imagine what can be done with climate change or any of the other Millennium Development Goals, a term few outside the social sector can get excited about. ❋ Charles Tsai (2011)

Also clouding the market is the question of whether Europe’s plan for Greece is more of a bailout or a default — selective default, the term being used to describe the plan, is a term few investors have ever heard before. ❋ By LOUISE STORY (2011)

Few.
[Ethereum] is rewriting the [financial] [system], few people understand. ❋ Undertheradar (2021)

I will [buy a] few [books] at [the store]. ❋ Annonymous1221 (2008)

[Oh my goodness] they are [such a] [cute] few. ❋ Cayser (2009)

«You’re few»
«Few [bastard]»
«[that’s real] few»
«you are the [fewest] kid I know» ❋ Imnotfew (2007)

there a very few [dead] [bodies] here ❋ TheUltraNoob (2022)

Typically used by itself ([one word] [sentence]).
@[jack]: Few ❋ Grayduck (2021)

Hey, [I’ll be back] [in a few], so start [making dinner] now. ❋ Packersfan65 (2014)

TuanTunc: I don’t know why the fuck people in America commonly use few as their go to bullshit number. Like how fucking much is a few?
Wuani (has [lisp]): if those silly citizens have any sense, then they should define a few as between 3-6, as a couple is 2, and several is based off seven, it means seven or more.
TuanTunc: isn’t that [going under] the assumption that all these terms are independent from each other and that [all rules] and terms English check and balance each other?
Wuani: TING ❋ Tuantingtong (2018)

a few [drinks] [means] 3 drinks
a few [people] means 3 people ❋ Lukeii (2004)

Damn there is [a FEW].
[dude look] [at that] FEW. ❋ TheJewFroKid (2009)

Источник

few

(fyo͞o)

adj. few·er, few·est

1. Amounting to or consisting of a small number: one of my few bad habits. See Usage Note at less.

2. Being more than one but indefinitely small in number: bowled a few strings.

n. (used with a pl. verb)

1. An indefinitely small number of persons or things: A few of the books have torn jackets.

2. An exclusive or limited number: the discerning few; the fortunate few.

pron. (used with a pl. verb)

A small number of persons or things: «For many are called, but few are chosen» (Matthew 22:14).

few′ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

few

(fjuː)

determiner

a. a small number of; hardly any: few men are so cruel.

b. (as pronoun; functioning as plural): many are called but few are chosen.

2. (preceded by a)

a. a small number of: a few drinks.

b. (as pronoun; functioning as plural): a few of you.

3. a good few informal several

4. few and far between

a. at great intervals; widely spaced

b. not abundant; scarce

5. have a few have a few too many to consume several (or too many) alcoholic drinks

6. not a few quite a few informal several

the few a small number of people considered as a class: the few who fell at Thermopylae. Compare many⁴

[Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent]

ˈfewness n

Usage: See at less

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

few

(fyu)

adj. -er, -est,
n., pron. adj.

1. not many but more than one: Few artists live luxuriously.

2. (used with a pl. v.) a small number or amount: Send me a few.

3. the few, a special, limited number; the minority: music that appeals to the few.

pron.

4. (used with a pl. v.) a small number of persons or things.

Idioms:

1. few and far between, placed at widely separated intervals; not plentiful.

2. quite a few, a fairly large number; many.

[before 900; Middle English fewe, fēal; Old English fēawe; c. Old Saxon faho, fā little, Old High German fao, fō, Old Norse fārs, Gothic fawai few]

few′ness, n.

few

– a few

1. used in front of nouns

Few and a few are both used in front of nouns, but they do not have the same meaning. You use a few simply to show that you are talking about a small number of people or things.

I’m having a dinner party for a few close friends.

Here are a few ideas that might help you.

When you use few without ‘a’, you are emphasizing that there are only a small number of people or things of a particular kind. So, for example, if you say ‘I have a few friends’, you are simply saying that you have some friends. However, if you say ‘I have few friends’, you are saying that you do not have enough friends and are lonely.

There were few resources available.

2. used as pronouns

Few and a few can be used in a similar way as pronouns.

Doctors work an average of 90 hours a week, while a few work up to 120 hours.

Many were invited but few came.

3. ‘not many’

In conversation and in less formal writing, people don’t usually use few without ‘a’. Instead they use not many. For example, instead of saying ‘I have few friends’, people usually say ‘I haven’t got many friends’ or ‘I don’t have many friends’.

They haven’t got many books.

I don’t have many visitors.

Be Careful!
Don’t use ‘few’ or ‘a few’ when you are talking about a small amount of something. Don’t say, for example, ‘Would you like a few more milk in your tea?‘ You say ‘Would you like a little more milk in your tea?’

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

few — a small elite group; «it was designed for the discriminating few»

elite, elite group — a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status

Adj.

few — a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `a’; a small but indefinite number; «a few weeks ago»; «a few more wagons than usual»; «an invalid’s pleasures are few and far between»; «few roses were still blooming»; «few women have led troops in battle»

fewer — (comparative of `few’ used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of; «fewer birds came this year»; «the birds are fewer this year»; «fewer trains were late»

some — quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity; «have some milk»; «some roses were still blooming»; «having some friends over»; «some apples»; «some paper»

many — a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by `as’ or `too’ or `so’ or `that’; amounting to a large but indefinite number; «many temptations»; «the temptations are many»; «a good many»; «a great many»; «many directions»; «take as many apples as you like»; «too many clouds to see»; «never saw so many people»

few

determiner

1. not many, one or two, hardly any, scarcely any, rare, thin, scattered, insufficient, scarce, scant, meagre, negligible, sporadic, sparse, infrequent, scanty, inconsiderable In some districts there are few survivors.
not many many, divers (archaic), abundant, plentiful, sundry, manifold, inexhaustible, multifarious, bounteous

pronoun

1. a small number, a handful, a sprinkling, a scattering, some, scarcely any A strict diet is appropriate for only a few.

few and far between scarce, rare, unusual, scattered, irregular, uncommon, in short supply, hard to come by, infrequent, thin on the ground, widely spaced, seldom met with Successful women politicians were few and far between.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

poc

máloněkolikpár

fåikke ret mange

malmulta

vähe

harvamuutamavähän

malomalobrojannekolicina

kevés

sedikit

fáir

少しの少数

약간의적은

labai nedaugmažainedaug

biežievery few minutesmaznedaudz

nekaj

få

จำนวนน้อยน้อย

ítmột vài

few

[fjuː] ADJ & PRON (fewer (compar) (fewest (superl)))

1. (= not many) → pocos/as
few books → pocos libros
few of them → pocos (de ellos)
only a few → sólo unos pocos
only a few of them came → sólo vinieron unos pocos
there are very few of us; we are very few → somos muy pocos
few (people) managed to do it → muy pocos consiguieron hacerlo
the few who → los pocos que …
she is one of the few (people) who → ella es una de los pocos que …
such men are few → hay pocos hombres así
as few as three of them → nada más que tres
every few weeks → cada dos o tres semanas
with few exceptions → con pocas excepciones
they are few and far between → son contados
the lucky few → unos pocos or unos cuantos afortunados
in or over the next few days → en or durante los próximos días, en estos días (LAm)
in or over the past few days → en or durante los últimos días
the last or remaining few minutes → el poco tiempo que queda/quedaba
too few → demasiado pocos
there were three too few → faltaban tres

2. (= some, several) a few → algunos
a good few quite a few → bastantes
a good few or quite a few (people) came → vinieron bastantes, vino bastante gente
he’d had a few (drinks) → llevaba ya una copa de más
a few more → algunos más
(in) a few more days → dentro de unos pocos días
a few of them → algunos de ellos
quite a few
see a good few

Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

few

adj (+er)

(= not many) → wenige; few people come to see him → nur wenige Leute besuchen ihn; with few exceptions → mit wenigen Ausnahmen; we are very few → wir sind nur sehr wenige or nur ein kleines Häufchen; few and far between → dünn gesät; as few as ten cigarettes a day can be harmful → schon or bereits zehn Zigaretten am Tag können schädlich sein; as few as six objections → bloß sechs Einwände, nicht mehr als sechs Einwände; how few they are! → wie wenige das sind!; so few books → so wenige Bücher; too few cakes → zu wenige Kuchen; there were 3 too few → es waren 3 zu wenig da; 10 would not be too few → 10 wären nicht zu wenig; he is one of the few people who … → er ist einer der wenigen, die …; the exceptions are few → es gibt nur wenige Ausnahmen; such occasions are few → solche Gelegenheiten sind selten or rar

pron

(= not many) → wenige; few of them came → wenige von ihnen kamen; some few → gar nicht so wenige; the Few Kampfflieger, die an der Luftschlacht um England im zweiten Weltkrieg teilnahmen; the lucky few → die wenigen Glücklichen; opera used to be an experience for the few → Opern waren früher einer privilegierten Minderheit vorbehalten; as few as you → genauso wenig wie du; how few there are! → wie wenige das sind!; however few there may be → wie wenig auch immer da ist; I’ve got so/too few as it is → ich habe sowieso schon so/zu wenig(e); so few have been sold → so wenige sind bis jetzt verkauft worden; there are too few of you → ihr seid zu wenige

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

few

[fjuː] adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) pron

a. (not many) → pochi/e
few books → pochi libri
few of them → pochi di loro
few (people) managed to do it → pochi riuscirono a farlo
few succeed → pochi ci riescono
she is one of the few (people) who … → è una delle poche persone che…
the few who … → i pochi che…
in or over the past few days → in questi ultimi giorni, negli ultimi giorni
in or over the next few days → nei prossimi giorni
every few days/months → ogni due o tre giorni/mesi
with few exceptions → con or salvo poche eccezioni
every few weeks → a intervalli di qualche settimana
they are few and far between → sono rari
there are very few of us or we are very few → siamo pochi
the last or remaining few minutes → i pochi minuti che rimangono
as few as three of them → solo tre di loro
too few → troppo pochi
there were three too few → ne mancavano tre

b. (some, several) a few → alcuni/e, qualche
a few books → alcuni libri, qualche libro
I know a few → ne conosco alcuni
a few of them → alcuni di loro
a few more days → qualche altro giorno
in a few more days → fra qualche giorno
a good few or quite a few → parecchi
a good few or quite a few books → parecchi libri, un bel po’ di libri
a good few or quite a few (people) came → parecchie persone sono venute

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

few

(fjuː) adjective, pronoun

not many; a very small number of. Few people visit me nowadays; every few minutes (= very frequently); Such opportunities are few.

a few

a small number (emphasizing that there are indeed some). There are a few books in this library about geology; We have only a few left.

few and far between

very few. Interesting jobs are few and far between.

few means `not many’.
a few means `some’.
see also less.

few

→ بِضْعَة, قَلِيل مِن málo, několik få wenige λίγοι, λίγος poco, pocos harva, muutama peu, quelques-uns malobrojan, nekolicina pochi 少しの, 少数 약간의, 적은 een paar, enkele få, noen få mało, niewielu poucos некоторые, немногие få จำนวนน้อย, น้อย birkaç ít, một vài 不多的, 几乎没有

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

Could you wait here for a few minutes? (US)
Can you wait here for a few minutes? (UK)

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

few

adj (comp less; super least) poco

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A few years later, my Uncle David took me to the Earle Theatre to hear Duke Ellington.

David Amram

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD FEW

Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silent.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF FEW

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF FEW

Few can act as a noun and a determiner.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The determinant is a modifier that provides context to the noun, often in terms of quantity and possession.

WHAT DOES FEW MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Quantity

Quantity is a property that can exist as a magnitude or multitude. Quantities can be compared in terms of «more», «less» or «equal», or, by assigning a numerical value in terms of a unit of measurement. Quantity is among the basic classes of things along with quality, substance, change, and relation. Being a fundamental term, quantity is used to refer to any type of quantitative properties or attributes of things. Some quantities are such by their inner nature, while others are functioning as states of things such as heavy and light, long and short, broad and narrow, small and great, or much and little. A small quantity is sometimes referred to as a quantulum. Two basic divisions of quantity, magnitude and multitude, imply the principal distinction between continuity and discontinuity. Under the names of multitude come what is discontinuous and discrete and divisible into indivisibles, all cases of collective nouns: army, fleet, flock, government, company, party, people, chorus, crowd, mess, and number.

Definition of few in the English dictionary

The definition of few in the dictionary is a small number of; hardly any. Other definition of few is a small number of.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH FEW

Synonyms and antonyms of few in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS OF «FEW»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «few» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «few» into 25 languages

TRANSLATION OF FEW

Find out the translation of few to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of few from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «few» in English.

Translator English — Chinese

不多的

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English — Spanish

poco

570 millions of speakers

English

few

510 millions of speakers

Translator English — Hindi

कुछ

380 millions of speakers

Translator English — Arabic

بِضْعَة

280 millions of speakers

Translator English — Russian

немногие

278 millions of speakers

Translator English — Portuguese

poucos

270 millions of speakers

Translator English — Bengali

কয়েক

260 millions of speakers

Translator English — French

peu

220 millions of speakers

Translator English — Malay

beberapa

190 millions of speakers

Translator English — German

wenige

180 millions of speakers

Translator English — Japanese

少しの

130 millions of speakers

Translator English — Korean

약간의

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Javanese

Sawetara

85 millions of speakers

Translator English — Vietnamese

ít

80 millions of speakers

Translator English — Tamil

சில

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Marathi

काही

75 millions of speakers

Translator English — Turkish

70 millions of speakers

Translator English — Italian

pochi

65 millions of speakers

Translator English — Polish

niewielu

50 millions of speakers

Translator English — Ukrainian

кілька

40 millions of speakers

Translator English — Romanian

câțiva

30 millions of speakers

Translator English — Greek

λίγος

15 millions of speakers

Translator English — Afrikaans

paar

14 millions of speakers

Translator English — Swedish

få

10 millions of speakers

Translator English — Norwegian

få

5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of few

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «FEW»

The term «few» is very widely used and occupies the 1.011 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.

Trends

FREQUENCY

Very widely used

The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «few» in the different countries.

Principal search tendencies and common uses of few

List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «few».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «FEW» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «few» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «few» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about few

10 QUOTES WITH «FEW»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word few.

I think a very good system in a world with a lot of passive investors is one in which there are at least a few entrepreneurial investors, prepared to say what they think, prepared to propose a change in management, change in strategy, change in cost structure, capital structure.

I like speed, so I like taking the jet skis out and hitting the water, or hitting the lake. In the winter, unfortunately, I used to ski a lot but I haven’t been able to ski in the past few years because thank God I’ve been working, so that’s a good reason not to.

A few years later, my Uncle David took me to the Earle Theatre to hear Duke Ellington.

If you’re gonna use simile, analogy, metaphor, be descriptive and have some flowery adjectives and a few odd nouns and some engaging bits of dialogue or sentiment, then you’re sort of writing a novel, really. But rock lyrics are not really known for their sophistication.

Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans.

Sport is one of the few spaces where people can learn about different cultures in a spirit of trust and friendship.

In the past few years, we’ve been doing amazing stuff with desserts. Pastry chefs have been using herbs and spices in their desserts. So vanilla cake doesn’t have to be just vanilla, it can have a little thyme. Or you could have a custard with a little lavender in it, which is just amazing.

Living composers writing for big band are very few and far between. There are not a lot of them, and I have a talent for doing it. I am zeroing in on what I do best.

There have been a few times when I’ve read a script and it’s really cool but the girl character’s just kind of pathetic. It’s not going to do me any favours just being ‘the girl’ in a cool movie.

Writing is one of the few professions in which you can psychoanalyse yourself, get rid of hostilities and frustrations in public, and get paid for it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «FEW»

Discover the use of few in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to few and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

The Chosen Few: How Education Shaped Jewish History, 70-1492

The Chosen Few offers a powerful new explanation of one of the most significant transformations in Jewish history while also providing fresh insights to the growing debate about the social and economic impact of religion.

Maristella Botticini, Zvi Eckstein, 2012

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective …

In Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, Maxwell shares the Five Principles and Five Practices to develop the crucial skill of connecting, including: Finding common ground Keeping your communication simple Capturing people’s interest …

Information Dashboard Design: The Effective Visual …

This text teaches the visual design skills needed to create dashboards that communicate clearly, rapidly, and compellingly.

By focusing on the relationship between economic power and political power, discussing actual government practices and policies, conspiracies, propaganda, fraud, secrecy and other ploys of government and politics, this book stands apart in …

Left stranded on the barbarian planet Marduk with a group of Royal Marines, Prince Roger MacClintock and his followers set out to recapture an interstellar empire from enemies who have branded Roger a traitor and outlaw.

David Weber, John Ringo, 2005

Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten

Perfecting the male body and sustaining the male libido has become a cultural pre-occupation. This is the story of how menopause has become its own cultural phenomenon.

The Spectacular Few: Prisoner Radicalization and the …

“Mark Hamm is, without doubt, the world’s leading expert on prison radicalization. Based on decades of research, this book presents a nuanced and sophisticated picture,.

A Few Good Men: The Bodhisattva Path According to the …

A Few Good Men is a study and translation of one of the most influential Mahayana sutras on the bodhisattva path.

Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust

Fictionalized account based on the experiences of Frans and Hermina (Mien) Wijnakker who were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 1983.

In this fascinating book, New Yorker business columnist James Surowiecki explores a deceptively simple idea: Large groups of people are smarter than an elite few, no matter how brilliant–better at solving problems, fostering innovation, …

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «FEW»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term few is used in the context of the following news items.

Half a million cards issued in a few days | Business | ekathimerini.com

Notably, banks issued more than 500,000 new debit cards within just a few days, meaning that virtually all account holders in Greece can now … «Kathimerini, Jul 15»

‘I enjoyed the Battle of Britain’ – The Few gather for 75th anniversary …

The ranks of The Few only ever amounted to just under 3,000, but 75 years on their numbers are thought to have dwindled to only 25 survivors … «Telegraph.co.uk, Jul 15»

Modi-Sharif meet: A few steps forward, but can Pakistan PM deliver …

Strangely, India has agreed to provide voice samples once again — India had already provided voice samples a few years ago, along with the … «Times of India, Jul 15»

A Few Extra Features Just Made The Sims 4 A Lot Better — Kotaku

The Sims is a very additive game. It never really stops or “ends” the way many single-player games do; it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. «Kotaku, Jul 15»

“Kiss my ass”: Kid Rock has a few words for Confederate battle flag …

In a brief statement read on “The Kelly File” last night, Detroit rocker/Chevy jingle-smith Kid Rock expressed his thoughts about the recent … «Salon, Jul 15»

Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic enjoys the final few days of his …

As most Premier League players make their way back to pre-season training, their Spanish counterparts have been given a few extra days by … «Daily Mail, Jul 15»

F1 2015 review: Pole position with few pit stops — Pocket-lint

Rebooting a Formula One videogame franchise is a tough task, almost by definition: with F1 games, authenticity is the name of the game, so the … «Pocket-lint.com, Jul 15»

Few Regulatory Hurdles for Lockheed-Sikorsky Deal — Defense News

WASHINGTON — If Lockheed Martin goes through with a reported purchase of Sikorsky, it will likely face few – if any – regulatory hurdles, … «DefenseNews.com, Jul 15»

WV MetroNews – Yeager repair work still a few weeks away

Work to deconstruct and then reconstruct the overrun area that collapsed at Yeager Airport in Charleston in March is still a few weeks away, … «West Virginia MetroNews, Jul 15»

‘Yoga is one of the few things I haven’t done yet’: Vladimir Putin tells …

“Yoga is one of the few things I haven’t done yet, though it’s hard to resist the attraction,” Putin, 62, who is a judo black belt, told Modi during … «National Post, Jul 15»

REFERENCE

« EDUCALINGO. Few [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/few>. Apr 2023 ».

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Источник