few 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of fewnext
as in limited

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

few

2 of 2

noun

as in handful
a small number a few of the songs on the album are good, but most are forgettable

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of few
Adjective
Debuting just a few weeks after Muse, Dots is designed to be a proactive assistant that tracks connected apps. — Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026 When this happened, a few members of Congress tried to intervene and stop the rescission, but the Republican majority blocked their efforts. — Stephanie A, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026 While several leaders in my survey described stagnant information flows as an impediment to responding to overlapping disruptions, a few also reported tackling internal communications as a way to deal with polycrisis. — Carol Geffner, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Recommended by Our Editors More than a few folks on the PCMag team lament the loss of the 27-inch iMac, hoping for the return of a larger Mac desktop screen. — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for few
Recent Examples of Synonyms for few
  1. limited
  2. handful
  3. couple
Adjective
  • The band said 60% of tickets would be priced under $300, alongside a limited number of premium seats.
    — James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The very limited research on estrogen facial creams is far less bullish.
    — Ashley Abramson, Allure, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of limited
Noun
  • Rugged island Flores, located in the southeast of the Indonesian archipelago, is one of a handful of islands in the world’s most populous Muslim nation with a Christian majority, with 80% of its two million inhabitants identifying as Roman Catholic.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 22 Oct. 2026
  • That’s 35% of the value of the S&P 500 and the highest concentration in a handful of stocks since just before the crash of 1929.
    — Ming Lu, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of handful
Noun
  • She was represented by an attorney, and, as is standard in surrogacy cases, there was an agreement — a contract — between the French couple and the woman.
    — Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Entertainment Weekly has reached out to the couple for more information on Becca’s cancer diagnosis and her upcoming treatment.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of couple

Phrases Containing few

Browse Nearby Words

fevers
few
few and far between
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Few.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/few. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All