(~s)
1.
A ~ of people or things is a small number of them.
He surveyed the ~ of customers at the bar...
N-SING: usu N of n
2.
A ~ of something is the amount of it that you can hold in your hand.
She scooped up a ~ of sand and let it trickle through her fingers.
N-COUNT: usu N of n
3.
If you say that someone, especially a child, is a ~, you mean that they are difficult to control. (INFORMAL)
Zara can be a ~ sometimes.
N-SING