Library / English Dictionary

FEW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A small elite group

Example:

it was designed for the discriminating few

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("few" is a kind of...):

elite; elite group (a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status)

Derivation:

few (a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by 'a'; a small but indefinite number)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by 'a'; a small but indefinite number

Example:

few women have led troops in battle

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

a couple of; a few (more than one but indefinitely small in number)

hardly a (very few)

Also:

fewer ((comparative of 'few' used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of)

some ((quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity)

Attribute:

multiplicity; numerosity; numerousness (a large number)

Antonym:

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)

Derivation:

few (a small elite group)

fewness (the quality of being small in number)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Your surgeon can tell you how you might feel and what you will be able to do - or not do - the first few days, weeks, or months after surgery.

(After Surgery, Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research)

Ice in cold traps has previously been spotted on Mercury and, in a few cases, on the moon.

(Where is the Ice on Ceres?, NASA)

The term 'multivitamin' in this review was used to describe supplements that include most vitamins and minerals, rather than a select few.

(Most Popular Supplements Provide No Health Benefit, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The team discovered that the simultaneous ripple activity often happened a few milliseconds before a patient would correctly remember a word pair.

(Our brains may ripple before remembering, National Institutes of Health)

Previously, there was only a small fraction of this knowledge, mainly because researchers could measure only a few blood proteins simultaneously in a robust manner.

(Scientists create ‘genetic atlas’ of proteins in human blood, University of Cambridge)

He was standing by the main rigging, a few feet away from me.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Since so few fossils have been discovered from that age, the sea monster is a spectacular find.

(Sea Monster Swam Oceans 170 Million Years Ago, Voanews)

When he glanced up again, Alleyne had, with a few bold strokes of the brush, tinted in a woman's face and neck upon the white sheet in front of him.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

But before we start I must ask you a few questions, Mr. Mortimer Tregennis.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Right now, the amount of biofuel that can be made from grass is still limited to a few drops.

(Will We Soon Drive on ‘Grassoline’?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)