INDEX:
1. a smaller amount or number
2. less than a number or amount
3. less interesting, expensive, difficult, exciting etc
4. when something happens less than before
5. when prices, numbers etc become less
6. when feelings, qualities etc become less strong
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ MORE
see also
↑ REDUCE
↑ LEAST
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1. a smaller amount or number
▷ less /les/ [quantifier]
a smaller amount of something. Less is used with uncountable nouns :
▪ I earn less money now than I did then.
▪ Surgery patients now spend much less time in the hospital.
▪ Statistics show that nowadays people drink less beer and smoke fewer cigarettes than they used to.
less than
▪ He always travels by bus because it costs less than travelling by train.
▪ Clive knows even less than I do about this business.
▪ It’s a bit less than a mile from here to the station.
far less/a lot less
▪ As a result of these improvements, the car uses far less fuel.
less of
▪ Studies show that people who receive medication when their pain first starts need less of it than people who wait longer.
less and less
when an amount keeps getting smaller as time passes
▪ As the drought became worse, there was less and less food available.
▷ fewer /ˈfjuːəʳ/ [quantifier]
a smaller number of people or things. Fewer is used with countable nouns :
▪ Schools in the suburbs have fewer discipline problems and better student attitudes.
▪ Spending cuts will mean fewer social workers.
fewer than
▪ No reservations are needed for groups of fewer than 15.
far fewer/a lot fewer
▪ There were far fewer women at the conference this year than last.
fewer and fewer
▪ Since 1985, fewer and fewer people have been drinking decaffeinated coffee, and the trend shows no signs of halting.
▷ not as much/not so much /nɒt əz ˈmʌtʃ, nɒt səʊ ˈmʌtʃ/ [quantifier]
less than an amount. Not as much and not so much are used with uncountable nouns. :
▪ There’s a lot of snow on the upper slopes of the mountain, but there’s not so much down here.
not as much/not so much as
▪ The Chinese don’t eat as much meat as Americans do.
▪ Jim worked hard, but didn’t earn as much money as he wanted.
not as much/not so much of
▪ I didn’t eat as much of the fish as Al, but I still got sick.
▷ not as many/not so many /nɒt əz ˈmeni, nɒt səʊ ˈmeni/ [quantifier]
fewer than a number of people or things. Not as many and not so many are used with countable nouns :
▪ ‘Last year our gift shop did very well,’ said Amy. ‘But this year we haven’t had as many customers coming through the door.’
▪ Law firms aren’t hiring as many associates this year.
▪ I don’t own nearly as many clothes as my sister.
▪ If I get milk and orange juice from the milkman, I don’t need to make as many trips to the grocery store.
▷ lower /ˈləʊəʳ/ [adjective]
less than another number or level - use this about prices, wages, temperatures, grades, and other things that can be measured on a scale from high to low :
▪ Foreign workers have fewer rights and get lower wages.
▪ The program is broadcast in the morning, a time when advertising rates are much lower.
lower than
▪ I got lower grades than the other students in my class.
▷ be in the/a minority /biː ɪn ðə, ə maɪˈnɒrə̇ti ǁ-mə̇ˈnɔː-/ [verb phrase]
if people of a particular type are in the minority in a particular group, they form less than half of the total group :
▪ In the boardrooms of most big corporations, women are in the minority.
▪ Quentin’s supporters were clearly in a minority as the City Council heard arguments for his dismissal.
2. less than a number or amount
▷ less than /ˈles ð ə n/ [preposition]
▪ Some of the miners were earning less than $2 an hour.
▪ There she was, less than ten feet away from me, walking past with the other guests of honour.
for less than
▪ The average income here is far less than the national average.
▷ under /ˈʌndəʳ/ [preposition]
less than a particular age, price, amount, or number :
▪ Children under 16 will not be admitted without an adult.
▪ Where can you get a meal for under $5?
well under
▪ The stock market’s highest point this week was well under what was predicted.
▷ below /bɪˈləʊ/ [preposition]
less than a particular temperature, speed, limit, or level :
▪ At night, the temperature is often below freezing.
fall below something
become less than
▪ The inflation rate has fallen below 6%.
far/well below
▪ The school’s test scores are far below average.
▷ lower /ˈləʊəʳ/ [adjective]
a lower figure, amount, rate, level etc is less than the one you have already mentioned :
▪ They rejected our estimate and suggested a lower figure.
▪ There’s no doubt that lower energy prices are having some short-term impact on the stock market.
lower than
▪ The divorce rate in Japan is much lower than in the U.S.
▷ within /wɪðˈɪnǁwɪðˈɪn, wɪθˈɪn/ [preposition]
at some point that is less than a particular period of time, distance, or limit :
▪ The top prize is a trip to Hawaii, which must be taken within a year of the prize drawing.
▪ Pupils living within two miles of the school are expected to pay their own bus fares.
▷ minus /ˈmaɪnəs/ [preposition]
minus five/ten/twenty etc
use this about numbers that are less than zero or temperatures that are below zero degrees :
▪ When we take away points for hitting obstacles, you get a final score of minus seven.
▪ Tonight’s low temperatures could reach minus twenty degrees in some areas.
3. less interesting, expensive, difficult, exciting etc
▷ not as /ˈnɒt əz/ [adverb]
▪ Their first album sold over a million copies, but the second one wasn’t as popular.
not as ... as
▪ It’s not as cold as it was yesterday.
▪ The beef was good, but it wasn’t as tender as the chicken.
▪ ‘How was the test?’ ‘Not as bad as I expected.’
▷ less /les/ [adverb]
▪ Of course, it would be less expensive to use frozen fish.
less ... than
▪ I want something less formal than a traditional wedding dress.
less and less
becoming less interesting, expensive etc all the time
▪ With the growth of telecommunications, the location of a company’s headquarters is becoming less and less important.
4. when something happens less than before
▷ less /les/ [adverb]
less than
▪ This type of problem still occurs, but less than it did in the past.
a lot less
▪ Since we got the car, we walk a lot less than we used to.
less and less
when something keeps getting less as time passes
▪ He seemed to care less and less about the band, and eventually decided to leave.
▷ not as much /nɒt əz ˈmʌtʃ/:
▪ Stan probably won’t need to travel as much in his new job.
not as much as
▪ ‘Do you still go swimming?’ ‘Not as much as I used to.’
5. when prices, numbers etc become less
▷ go down/come down /ˌgəʊ ˈdaʊn, ˌkʌm ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to become less :
▪ Attendance at the school’s basketball games has gone down significantly in the last few years.
▪ I’m hoping the price will come down if I wait a while.
▷ fall/drop /fɔːl, drɒpǁdrɑːp/ [intransitive verb]
to become less, especially by a large amount :
▪ Sales have fallen dramatically in Houston and Toronto.
fall/drop to
▪ At night, the temperature drops to -20°C.
fall/drop from something to something
▪ Profits fell from £98.5 million to £76 million.
fall/drop [singular noun]
fall/drop in
▪ The airline may be forced to make cutbacks because of a 15 percent fall in revenue revenue has gone down by 15% .
▪ a sudden drop in the number of student nurses
a sharp fall/drop
when an amount goes down a lot and very suddenly
▪ a sharp fall in profits
▷ decrease /dɪˈkriːs/ [intransitive verb]
to become less - used especially in writing about business or technical subjects :
▪ Experts say that the time parents spend with their children is decreasing.
decrease to
▪ The speed of rotation gradually decreases to zero.
decrease /ˈdiːkriːs/ [countable noun]
decrease in
▪ a 5 percent decrease in the value of the dollar it goes down by 5%
a significant/marked decrease
when something happens much less than it used to
▪ a significant decrease in the number of deaths from heart disease
decreasing [adjective only before noun]
▪ decreasing levels of carbon dioxide in the air
▷ decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ [countable noun usually singular]
a gradual decrease in the number or amount of something good or important so that the situation becomes worse :
▪ Firms with large debts may not have the financial strength to survive a prolonged sales decline or a recession.
decline in
▪ We can expect a further decline in job vacancies.
▷ reduction /rɪˈdʌkʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
when a price, level etc is reduced - use this when something is reduced deliberately :
▪ New production methods led to a cost reduction of about 50 percent.
reduction in
▪ Cleaner fuel has contributed to a reduction in air pollution.
▪ a reduction in working hours
▷ cut /kʌt/ [countable noun]
a reduction in the amount or size of something made by a government or large organization - use this especially when talking about politics or business :
cut in
▪ Cuts in the education budget have led to fewer teachers and larger classes.
pay/job/tax cuts
cuts in wages, number of jobs, or taxes
▪ The whole team agreed to take pay cuts, rather than see their colleagues lose their jobs.
▪ Some senators have called for huge tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
▷ plummet/plunge /ˈplʌmɪt, ˈplʌmət, plʌndʒ/ [intransitive verb]
to drop very rapidly and by a large amount :
▪ As soon as the sun went down, the temperature plummeted.
▪ The drought has caused the price of hay to soar, and the price of cattle has plummeted.
plummet/plunge 20 degrees/thirty points etc
▪ The stock market plunged 30 points when the news was announced.
▷ taper off /ˌteɪpər ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a number or the amount of activity happening tapers off, it gradually decreases :
▪ Towards sunset, the rain began to taper off.
▷ dwindle /ˈdwɪndl/ [intransitive verb]
if supplies or numbers of something dwindle, they gradually decrease :
▪ The country’s foreign currency reserves have dwindled over the past few years.
dwindle to
▪ The original platoon of 30 men had dwindled to 12.
dwindling [adjective only before noun]
▪ What can be done to preserve the world’s dwindling natural resources?
▷ slide /slaɪd/ [intransitive verb]
if a price or value slides it gradually decreases in a way that causes problems - used especially in news reports :
▪ Prices will continue to slide unless production is reduced.
▪ The dollar fell in late trading in New York yesterday and slid further this morning.
▷ take a nosedive also nosedive /ˌteɪk ə ˈnəʊzdaɪv, ˈnəʊzdaɪv/ [intransitive verb] informal
if the price or value of something takes a nosedive, it becomes lower very quickly and causes problems. If an economy takes a nosedive it become worse very quickly :
▪ Since January, sales of cars and trucks, including minivans, have nosedived.
▪ Shares on the stock exchange took another nosedive Friday.
6. when feelings, qualities etc become less strong
▷ lessen /ˈles ə n/ [intransitive verb]
▪ Over time, the pain usually lessens, but this may take several months.
▪ My love for the countryside has never lessened.
▷ subside /səbˈsaɪd/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as fear, anxiety, trouble or laughter subsides, it gradually decreases :
▪ After the rebel leaders were captured or killed, the trouble subsided.
▪ The speaker puffed on his cigar while he waited for the laughter to subside.
▷ wane /weɪn/ [intransitive verb]
if something such as people’s liking or support for something or someone wanes, that feeling gradually becomes slightly less and will probably continue to decrease :
▪ His popularity in the state began to wane almost immediately after the election.
▪ Some countries’ taste for purely American pop culture has waned.
▷ recede /rɪˈsiːd/ [intransitive verb]
if a possibility or chance recedes, it gradually becomes less and less likely :
▪ Since Donald lost his job, the hopes of our buying a house have receded even further.
▪ As the threat of nuclear war receded, other things began to worry us.