Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - few

~ quantifier, noun plural 1 a few/the few no comparative a small number (of)  (I've got a few books on gardening. | I'll pop into the supermarket and get a few bits and pieces. | only a few hundred yards past the crossroads | It's one of the few companies trying to tackle the problem. | a few of)  (I've read a few of her books. | a few more)  (There are a few more things I'd like to discuss. | a few minutes/the last few days/the next few years etc)  (George arrived a few minutes later. | Ignore this letter if you have paid in the last few days. | a few people)  (There were a few people sitting at the back of the hall. | only a very few (=not many)) 2 quite a few/a good few/not a few a fairly large number  (She must have cooked a good few dinners over the years.) 3 not many; not enough  (low-paid jobs that few people want | There may be few options open to you. | The meals are awful, but few complain. | Which one has the fewest mistakes? | few of)  (Very few of the staff come from the local area.) 4 no fewer than used to emphasize how surprisingly large a number is; at least  (I tried to contact him no fewer than ten times.) 5 as few as used to emphasize how surprisingly small a number is  (She can remember all the words accurately after reading it as few as three times) 6 to name but a few used when you are mentioning only a small number of people or things as examples of a large group  (I've visited many fascinating countries; Japan, India, Turkey, and Russia to name but a few.) 7 the chosen few the small number of people to be invited or selected  (Such information is made available only to the chosen few.) 8 precious few (of) a very small number  (Only a small percentage of the seeds germinated and precious few of those survived.) 9 few and far between rare; not happening or available often  (Jobs are few and far between at the moment.) 10 have a few (too many) informal to have too much alcohol to drink  (He looks as if he's had a few!)  (- opposite many)  ( USAGE NOTE: FEW WORD CHOICE a few, few, a little, little When talking about amounts, you use (a) few with plural countable nouns, and (a) little with uncountable nouns. A few is positive and means a small number but not a lot Yes, I do know a few words of French. | There are a few beers left in the fridge. Few is negative and means not many I'm afraid I know few words of French. Few used alone is fairly formal, and you would most often use it with very Very few people come here now. With words for time, a few is almost always used after a few minutes | a few years before A little is positive and means some, but not a lot Fortunately he still had a little money left. In more informal British English, a bit means the same thing Don't worry, you've got a bit more time to get the work done. Little is negative and means `not much' Unfortunately he now had little money left. Again, this is fairly formal, and speakers often avoid using little on its own. You would normally say very little. )