Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Note: 'Less' is often considered to be the comparative form of 'little'.
1.
You use ~ to indicate that there is a smaller amount of something than before or than average. You can use ‘a little’, ‘a lot’, ‘a bit’, ‘far’, and ‘much’ in front of ~.
People should eat ~ fat to reduce the risk of heart disease.
...a dishwasher that uses ~ water and electricity than older machines...
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DET: DET n-uncount
•
Less is also a pronoun.
Borrowers are striving to ease their financial position by spending ~ and saving more.
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PRON
•
Less is also a quantifier.
Last year ~ of the money went into high-technology companies...
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QUANT: QUANT of def-n-uncount/sing
2.
You use ~ than before a number or amount to say that the actual number or amount is smaller than this.
Motorways actually cover ~ than 0.1 percent of the countryside...
Less than a half hour later he returned upstairs.
PREP-PHRASE: PREP amount
3.
You use ~ to indicate that something or someone has a smaller amount of a quality than they used to or than is average or usual.
Other amenities, ~ commonly available, include a library and exercise room...
Poverty is ~ of a problem now than it used to be.
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ADV: ADV adj/adv, ADV of a n
4.
If you say that something is ~ one thing than another, you mean that it is like the second thing rather than the first.
At first sight it looked ~ like a capital city than a mining camp...
ADV: ADV group than group/cl
5.
If you do something ~ than before or ~ than someone else, you do it to a smaller extent or not as often.
We are eating more and exercising ~...
I see ~ of any of my friends than I used to.
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ADV: ADV with v
6.
You use the expressions still ~, much ~, and even ~ after a negative statement in order to introduce and emphasize a further statement, and to make it negative too. (FORMAL)
I never talked about it, still ~ about her...
The boy didn’t have a girlfriend, much ~ a wife.
PHRASE emphasis
7.
When you are referring to amounts, you use ~ in front of a number or quantity to indicate that it is to be subtracted from another number or quantity already mentioned.
...Boyton Financial Services Fees: ?750, ~ ?400...
Company car drivers will pay between ten and twenty five percent, ~ tax.
= minus
? plus
PREP
8.
You use ~ than to say that something does not have a particular quality. For example, if you describe something as ~ than perfect, you mean that it is not perfect at all.
Her greeting was ~ than enthusiastic...
Her advice has frequently been ~ than wholly helpful.
PHRASE: PHR adj/adv emphasis
9.
You use no ~ than before an amount to indicate that the amount is larger than you expected.
No ~ than 35 per cent of the country is protected in the form of parks and nature sanctuaries...
He is lined up for no ~ than four US television interviews.
PHRASE: PHR amount emphasis
10.
couldn’t care ~: see care
more or ~: see more