The Collaborative International Dictionary
Few \Few\ (f[=u]),
-
[Compar. Fewer (f[=u]"[~e]r); superl. Fewest.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe['a], pl. fe['a]we; akin to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf. Paucity.] Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; -- indicating a small portion of units or individuals constituting a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few people. ``Are not my days few?''
--Job x. 20.Few know and fewer care.
--Prover -
Note: Few is often used partitively; as, few of them.
A few, a small number.
In few, in a few words; briefly.
--Shak.No few, not few; more than a few; many.
--Cowper.The few, the minority; -- opposed to the many or the majority.
Wiktionary
det. A small number of. Not zero but more than two. pron. A small number of things
WordNet
adj : more than one but indefinitely small in number; "a few roses"; "a couple of roses" [syn: a few(a), a couple of(a)]
Usage examples of "a few".
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The aliens targeted their blue lightning on the empty projectiles, giving the blitzkrieg scoops a few more seconds to escape.
Following the performance, Estarra let Reynald talk business with the villagers while she happily accepted an invitation to splash in the warm water with a few local girls.
She loved the sensation of floating and swimming, though she had the opportunity to do so only a few times a year.
Though only a few molecules thick, each nebula sail covered an area broad enough to eclipse a small moon.
So what if a bunch of defiant colonists have to put up with a few bruises?
Squadrons of combat Remoras crisscrossed the sky, dropping incendiary bombs primarily in unoccupied areas, though a few struck warehouses and governmental buildings.
But I saved him the trouble and scored a few small points in the process.
For millennia, a few select Ildirans had known that the hydrogues might one day return to cause havoc.
Given his blue-blood heritage, the kid had expected to advance his military career with a few helpful nudges and memos directed to the appropriate commanding officers.
On the main screen she could see a few bodies of trampled or injured people.
At the broad window, a few of the green priests were still talking with each other, pointing at rock formations.
With a growling stomach and uncertain optimism, he walked through the site, finding a garbage dump and a few forgotten odds and ends.
I can bribe the kitchen staff to sneak out a few sandwiches that the two of you can eat together.
Only a few lifetubes had shot out, carrying a pitiful handful of survivors.