Sentence with few

Few Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

1 of 3

ˈfyü

: not many persons or things

few were present

few of his stories are true

few

2 of 3

: consisting of or amounting to only a small number

one of our few pleasures

: at least some but indeterminately small in number

—used with a

caught a few fish

fewness noun

few

3 of 3

: a small number of units or individuals

a few of them

: a special limited number

the discriminating few

Phrases

few and far between

: few in number and infrequently met : rare

Synonyms

Noun

couple
handful
scatter
scattering
smatter
smattering
sprinkle
sprinkling

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Example Sentences

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

Alongside Thom Browne, Loewe, Gypsy Sport, and Jacquemus sent down a few of their own versions. —Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 5 Jan. 2023 The desire for sustainable tech has never been stronger, and few are as dedicated to the cause as HP. —Zackery Cuevas, PCMAG, 4 Jan. 2023 But precious few of those are world class, and some that are have been hobbled—think Alibaba and Tencent, reined in by Xi’s regulatory policies, or Huawei and ByteDance, crimped by fears of Xi’s geopolitical ambitions. —Alan Murray, Fortune, 4 Jan. 2023 There are a few of those 20 that just aren't going to vote for Kevin McCarthy but would vote for somebody else. —Brandon Gillespie, Fox News, 4 Jan. 2023 Some feel relaxing and serene, others playful and creative -- and a few are destinations in themselves. —Kate Springer, CNN, 4 Jan. 2023 How will that sit with the moderate Republicans—and there are a few now, the several new members who helped the GOP get this majority? —Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 4 Jan. 2023 But few were interested in returning to a place full of such horrific memories. —Craig Pittman, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2023 Lights, locks, and thermostats are a few of the categories currently supported. —Reece Rogers, WIRED , 3 Jan. 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 example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'few. ' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Pronoun and Adjective

Middle English fewe, pronoun & adjective, from Old English fēawa; akin to Old High German fō little, Latin paucus little, pauper poor, Greek paid-, pais child, Sanskrit putra son

First Known Use

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of few was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Dictionary Entries Near

few

feverwort

few

fewer

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

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“Few. ” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/few. Accessed 15 Jan. 2023.

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Kids Definition

few

1 of 3 pronoun

ˈfyü

: not many persons or things

—used in plural

few were present

few

2 of 3 adjective

: amounting to only a small number

one of the few sports I play

: not many but some

caught a few fish

fewness noun

few

3 of 3 noun

: a small number of units or individuals

a few of them

: a special limited number

the select few

More from Merriam-Webster on

few

Nglish: Translation of few for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of few for Arabic Speakers

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

English example sentences with "few"

If I wanted to scare you, I would tell you what I dreamt about a few weeks ago.

It took me more than two hours to translate a few pages of English.

Will you listen to me for a few minutes?

You will find it stated a few pages further on.

You have only to read a few pages of this book.

You must keep quiet for a few days.

You'll be able to drive a car in a few days.

Your composition is very good, and it has few mistakes.

Your composition is perfect except for a few mistakes.

There are few mistakes in your composition.

Your composition has a few mistakes.

There are few high-ranking positions left open for you.

Air quality has deteriorated these past few years.

I want a few empty glasses.

Few rich men own their own property.

Little money, few friends.

Modern travel enables us to go around the world in a few days.

Few people visit me these days.

Bridges are burning and chances are few.

There were few students left in the classroom.

There were few children in the classroom.

There were few students remaining in the classroom.

On behalf of my classmates, let me say a few words of thanks to you.

Can you extend your holiday by a few days?

It is sad that so few people give money to help the hungry.

Can you spare me a few minutes of your valuable time?

The rules must be few, and what is more important, simple.

The rules must be few and, more importantly, simple.

It was a pleasant day, but there were few people in the park.

It took him only a few minutes to realize his mistakes.

The doctor emphasized that the patient had only a few days.

Few people, if any, could survive a nuclear war.

Few people can speak a foreign language perfectly.

Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to say a few words of welcome.

There were few people on the beach.

Few people attended the meeting.

Only a few people showed up on time for the meeting.

We own a few hundred acres between the three of us.

Few flowers develop into fruit.

May I take a few days off to visit my family?

I'd send my kid out on his own for a while if I were you. A few hard knocks at this point might do him some good.

You might have to eat those words a few years from now.

Few people are free of care.

Few things give us as much pleasure as music.

There are a few yachts on the calm sea.

They have few earthquakes in England.

Few were at the seaside because it was raining.

I only hope that the rain holds off for a few hours more.

A really perceptive person can figure out a whole situation with just a few clues. That's the kind of person I want you to become.

I left off work for a few hours to see the doctor.

We must make the best we can of the few natural resources we have.

We all try hard to make the grade in life, but only a few succeed.

A few words may betray a man's true character.

In London, quite a few musicals and plays are presented at the theaters every night.

The candle flickered a few times and then went out.

There are a few apples on the tree, aren't there?

Few students can read Latin.

We must wait for a few weeks to see the lilacs.

Yachts are for the wealthy few.

If your essay is on the short side, you can always pad it out with a few quotations.

Before going home, I have a few drinks to relax.

Thousands of lives will be at stake if emergency food does not arrive there within a few days.

If you will excuse me for a few minutes, I'd like to make a call.

You will be able to speak fluent English in another few months.

I have been reading this for a few hours.

Could you give me a few more minutes?

I'm sure that family is familiar with Japanese tastes in food. They've hosted quite a few Japanese exchange students.

A few minutes more, and I'll be ready.

You have only to read a few more pages.

There are a few books, but they have some misprints.

Apart from a few mistakes, your composition was excellent.

At the beginning of a marathon race, scores of runners start, but only a few finish and just one takes the cake.

We will take off in a few minutes.

In a few minutes we'll be landing at New Tokyo International Airport.

Mountain bike racing has caught on with young Japanese in the past few years.

Mike said a few words by way of suggestion.

Mike has a few friends in Florida.

Only a few students understood the matter.

Only a few people understood me.

Only a few people listened to him.

It's only a short way, so you can walk there in a few minutes.

It only takes a few minutes.

Only a few members turned up at the meeting.

Mr White made a few comments on my speech.

Bob gave Tina almost all the stamps he had collected, and kept only a few for himself.

Few of the trippers called in at the ghost town of New York.

In most Japanese companies, only a few executives have a room to themselves.

Few people know each other well.

Few people know that Mr. Itsumi is from Kansai.

Few people know about the plan.

Bill had always been a quiet, home-loving man, but after a few months in the job, his personality changed.

May I ask a few more questions about that point? It's a little obscure.

We have few opportunities to speak German.

That is to say, they had a few hundred pounds, with which they had intended to buy a house as soon as they arrived.

It's a good paper, apart from a few spelling mistakes.

Would you mind waiting a few minutes?

What has become of the book I put here a few minutes ago?

Can you spare me a few minutes?

Let me say a few words by way of apology.

Can I borrow your pen for a few minutes?

Everyone seems to have a bone to pick with someone, but only a few people can be philosophical about it.

90,000 complex sentences with several subordinate (with examples)

Content

1 Homeless subordination of the subordinate clauses
2 heterogeneous or parallel subordination
3 SPP with sequential subordinate subordinate subordination subordinate subordinate subordinate 9000

9000 9000

. (SPP) may have several subordinate (dependent) parts.

He knew that she would not come, even though she promised . (subordinate explanatory clause + concessions).

Depending on how the question is posed in a sentence from one subordinate clause to another, the following types of subordination are distinguished:

homogeneous;
heterogeneous or parallel;
serial;
combined.

Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Homogeneous subordination of clauses

In homogeneous subordination, all subordinate clauses refer to the same word/phrase in the main clause and answer the same question. nine0003

In other words, we can ask the same question from the same word/phrase in the main clause to all the subordinate clauses.

He said that she didn't know how to cook and that she was a really bad housewife.

The main part - he told. From the word told we put the question to the subordinate clauses: He told what? that she can't cook, he said what? that she is a very bad housewife.

Some more examples of NGN with homogeneous subordination:

She watched him go to the store and her beloved dog ran after him.
I saw that I was approaching Moscow, that the cloud that was following me all the way in the train was already behind me.
I never understood why he doesn't talk to me and what I did to him.

Heterogeneous or parallel subordination

There are two distinguishing features of heterogeneous subordination of clauses:

The question can be posed from the same word/phrase, but in this case the questions are asked differently.
The question can be posed from different words/phrases.

As he drove up to the house, I strained my eyes to get a better look at him.

The main part - I strained my eyesight. Tighten when? When he drove up to the house. Strained for what purpose? To see it better.

As you can see, the question to the clause is put from the same word from the main part, but since the question itself is different, we can conclude that the clauses function with a parallel type of subordination. nine0003

We must take into account the month in which we are going on vacation in order to find cheap tickets.

The main part is the month. What month? Where we are going on vacation. Why count? to find cheap tickets.

In this sentence, the question to the subordinate clause is posed from different words from the main clause, so the type of subordination is also heterogeneous.

Other examples of this type of submission:

We need to write the essay that the teacher gave us in order to get a good mark. nine0020

I won't study at a school that is far from my home because I don't want to spend time on long trips.

NGN with sequential subordination of clauses

Sequential subordination includes complex sentences in which several subordinate clauses form a kind of chain. That is, the question is posed in a chain from one dependent part to another.

I knew he wouldn't come because he's always busy. nine0020

I knew what? That he won't come. Why won't he come? Because he is always busy.

Other examples of this kind of submission

He knew that she would not come, although she promised.

She knew that she would not do the job she promised.

Sentences with combined subordination of subordinate clauses

There are complex sentences in which several types of connection can be found, for example, serial + homogeneous or homogeneous + parallel. nine0003
An example of combined subordination of the subordinate clauses:

In the forest it was distinctly heard how someone screamed and how a bear sighed heavily, which was prevented from eating raspberries (homogeneous + sequential).

Complex sentences with several subordinate clauses - Russian Lessons

Complex sentences with several subordinate clauses can be divided into four groups:0148 submission;
with heterogeneous subordination;

with consecutive submission;

with combined subordination.

With homogeneous subordination, all subordinate clauses are connected with the same same words in the main clause and answer the same same question. Such accessory parts are called homogeneous . For example,

[I came to tell you with greetings], (that the sun has risen), (that it fluttered with hot light on the sheets). nine0020

In this sentence, the main part ~ I came to you with greetings to tell , ~ two subordinate clauses depend on it ~ That the sun has risen ~ and ~ That it fluttered with hot light on the sheets . Both subordinate clauses depend on the verb tell in the main clause. We ask a question:

Tell ~ what ?~ – That the sun has risen. - That it fluttered with hot light on the sheets.

Both clauses answer the same question. They are homogeneous. So we have a complex sentence with homogeneous submission.

Let's build a sentence scheme.

Note the main clause and two subordinate clauses. In the diagram, we will show that both subordinate clauses explain the verb in the main clause and answer the same question.

[CH], (what), (what).

This offer scheme is called horizontal .

A sentence with several clauses can also be presented in the form of a vertical scheme :

[ ]

(what ) (what )

Connections of homogeneous clauses with the main and between themselves resemble the connections of homogeneous members of a simple sentence. For example,

He read fresh newspapers and magazines every morning.

In this simple sentence, additions ~ newspapers and magazines ~ depend on the predicate read , ~ they answer the same question: ~ Read ~ what ?~ – Newspapers and magazines . ~ Therefore, these additions are homogeneous .

In a complex sentence with homogeneous subordination, the second subordinate clause may have no union. For example,

[I will not believe the spring], (until the bright sun wakes up) and (the first blue-eyed snowdrops smile).

In this example, the main sentence is ~ 0019 Until the bright sun wakes up, ~The first blue-eyed snowdrops will not smile . We ask a question:

I won't believe~ until when ?~ -P the bright sun will not wake up and the first blue-eyed snowdrops will not smile. ~ Both clauses depend on the verb don't believe in the main clause and answer the same question. Therefore, they are homogeneous. In the second clause, the union is omitted while . It can be included in a proposal. nine0003
I won't believe in spring until the bright sun wakes up and the first blue-eyed snowdrops smile.

If homogeneous clauses are connected by single unions ~ and ~ or , ~ no comma is placed between them. For example,

[Let's start], (if a bird suddenly flies up) or (an elk blows in the distance).

In this sentence, homogeneous appendages~ If a bird suddenly flies up~ and An elk will sound in the distance ~explain the main part~ Let's shudder . The subordinate clauses are connected by a single union and or , so there is no comma between them.

In case of heterogeneous subordination, clauses can refer to the same words in the main clause, but they answer different questions. Such clauses are called heterogeneous (or parallel ). For example,

(When I have a new book in my hands), [I feel] (that something alive, wonderful, is entering my life).

Main clause ~ I feel .~ Clauses~ When I have a new book in my hands ~ That something living, wonderful comes into my life Both clauses depend on the verb feel in the main clause. We ask a question:

I feel ~ that ?~ – That something living, wonderful is entering my life. nine0020

Feel~ when?~ – When I have a new book in my hands.

We see that the subordinate clauses depend on the same word in the main, but they answer different questions. Therefore, they are inhomogeneous . Before us is a proposal with heterogeneous subordination. Let's build a horizontal scheme of this sentence:

(When), [ch.], (what).

Let's build a vertical supply chain:

[ Ch ]

(When ) (what )

With successive subordination, subordinate parts form a kind of chain: the first subordinate (1st degree) depends on the main one, the second (2nd degree) - on the first, the third (3- th degree) - from the second and so on. For example,

[The main thing is] (that prose (when it reaches perfection) is genuine poetry).

In this example, the main sentence is ~ The main thing is . The subordinate part depends on it ~ That prose is true poetry . Let's put the question from the index word in volume : ~ In volume ~ in what ?~ - That prose is true poetry.

From this clause one can ask a question to the second clause: Is it poetry~ when ?~ – When it reaches perfection . Hence, the second clause explains the first. Therefore, we have serial slave.

Let's build a sentence scheme.

[uk. next], (what ..., (when ...))..).

With combined subordination, different types of subordination are simultaneously presented: homogeneous, parallel and sequential. For example,

[In sad moments I consoled myself with the fact], (that the poet does not die) and (that my Pushkin is always alive for those), (who loved him) .

In this example, the main part is ~ In sad moments, I consoled myself with . Two subordinate clauses depend on it~ That the poet does not die~ and That my Pushkin is always alive for those . These clauses answer the same question, refer to the words consoled by those in the main. Therefore, represent homogeneous submission. The third clause ~ Who loved him ~ in turn depends on the second clause, on the words ~ is alive for those . It is a subordinate clause of the second degree with sequential subordination.

Therefore, we have a complex sentence with homogeneous and consistent subordination. Let's build a sentence scheme:

Horizontal sentence scheme: [ ch. + topics], (what) and (what ... ch. + those), (who).

Let's repeat

Complex sentences with several subordinate clauses can be divided into four groups:

with homogeneous submission;

with heterogeneous subordination;

with consecutive submission;

with combined subordination.
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