INDEX:
1. a small number of people or things
2. very few
3. when a small number of people or things arrive, leave etc
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ LOT
↑ COMMON
when only a few of something exist : ↑ RARE/RARELY (1)
see also
↑ LITTLE
↑ LESS
↑ ONLY
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1. a small number of people or things
▷ a few /ə ˈfjuː/ [quantifier]
a small number of people, things, places etc :
▪ Most of the trees were destroyed by the fire, but a few survived.
a few people/days/things etc
▪ She’s gone to stay with her father for a few days.
▪ Can I borrow a few dollars until I get paid?
▪ I invited a few friends around on Saturday night.
a few of
a small number from a larger group
▪ Sean left the gate open and a few of the cows got out.
▷ a small number /ə ˌsmɔːl ˈnʌmbəʳ/ [quantifier] formal
a few people, things, places etc, especially when they are part of a much bigger number :
▪ Hundreds of people begin the training programme, but only a small number complete it successfully.
a small number of
▪ Only a small number of people still speak Gaelic.
▪ The new system is being tested in a small number of schools.
▪ A relatively small number of industrially advanced countries control the world economy.
▷ not many /nɒt ˈmeni/ [quantifier]
a smaller number than you expected or wanted :
▪ ‘Were there many people at the show?’ ‘No, not many.’
not many people/places etc
▪ There weren’t many people at the party, but we still had a good time.
▪ Not many restaurants stay open after midnight.
not many of
▪ I think I’m quite a good cook but not many of my friends agree with me.
▷ one or two /ˌwʌn ɔːʳ ˈtuː◂/ [quantifier] spoken
a small number of people or things :
▪ ‘Do you have any Bob Dylan albums?’ ‘Yes, one or two.’
one or two people/places/questions etc
▪ We’ve had one or two problems with the car but nothing serious.
▪ There are one or two things I’d like to ask you about.
one or two of
▪ I only know the names of one or two of the new students.
▷ a couple /ə ˈkʌp ə l/ [quantifier] especially spoken
two, or a small number :
▪ ‘How many drinks did you have?’ ‘Just a couple.’
a couple of
▪ A couple of kids were playing in the street.
▪ I saw her a couple of days ago.
▷ a handful /ə ˈhændfʊl/ [quantifier]
a very small number of people or things, especially when this number is disappointing or surprising :
▪ We offer a gym for our employees but only a handful ever use it.
a handful of
▪ Only a handful of artists in Britain can make a living from painting.
▪ A handful of people stayed after the concert to help clear the chairs away.
▷ a minority /ə maɪˈnɒrə̇tiǁ-mə̇ˈnɔː-, -ˈnɑː-/ [quantifier]
a small group of people or things from within a larger group, usually forming much less than half of the larger group :
a minority of
▪ Only a minority of union members voted in favour of continuing the strike.
a small/tiny etc minority
▪ Joyce is among the tiny minority of arthritis sufferers who experience these symptoms.
▪ Every year more than three hundred students enter this program but only a small minority will go on to become lawyers.
▷ sparse /spɑːʳs/ [adjective]
if something is sparse, there are only very small amounts of it, especially spread over a large area :
▪ sparse traffic
▪ Trees are sparse in this part of the world because of the continuous wind that blows across the plains.
sparsely [adverb]
▪ This is one of the most sparsely populated areas of Asia there are only a few people living there .
2. very few
▷ few/very few /fjuː, ˌveri ˈfjuː/ [quantifier]
a very small number of people, things, places etc :
▪ At that time, few people had televisions.
▪ Very few new restaurants survive for more than two years.
few/very few of
▪ Very few of the students we asked said they were interested in politics.
▷ almost no /ˌɔːlməʊst ˈnəʊ/ [quantifier]
so few people or things that there are almost none :
▪ There are almost no black students at the college.
▪ My grandmother received almost no education as she was growing up.
▪ Except for a lone seagull flying overhead, there are almost no signs of animal life.
▷ hardly any/scarcely any /ˌhɑːʳdli ˈeni, ˌskeəʳsli ˈeni/ [quantifier]
so few people or things that there are almost none - use this especially when this number is disappointing or surprising :
▪ There are supposed to be a lot of teachers at the conference, but I’ve met hardly any.
hardly/scarcely any people/things/places etc
▪ Although it was Monday morning there were hardly any people around.
▪ He enjoyed his work even though he made scarcely any money.
hardly anyone
▪ We sent out over a hundred invitations but hardly anyone came.
hardly any/scarcely any of
▪ Scarcely any of the private schools replied to the researcher’s questionnaire.
▷ be able to count something on (the fingers of) one hand /biː eɪbl tə ˌkaʊnt something ɒn (ðə ˌfɪŋgəʳz əv) ˌwʌn ˈhænd/ [verb phrase] spoken
say this to emphasize that there is only a very small number of people, things, times when something happens etc :
▪ I can count the number of times my son’s called me on one hand.
▪ Ten years ago, you could count the Korean restaurants in this city on the fingers of one hand.
3. when a small number of people or things arrive, leave etc
▷ a trickle /ə ˈtrɪk ə l/ [singular noun]
a number of people going in small groups from one place to another, especially from one country to another, over a long period of time :
▪ The flow of immigrants from Bosnia has slowed to a trickle.
a trickle of
▪ Since the rebellion there has been a steady trickle of refugees making their way across the border.
▷ in dribs and drabs /ɪn ˌdrɪbz ən ˈdræbz/ [adverb]
if people or things arrive, leave etc in dribs and drabs, they come or go in small groups and not all together at the same time :
▪ The wedding guests were arriving in dribs and drabs.
▪ He insisted on paying me back in dribs and drabs, five or ten dollars at a time.
▷ in ones and twos /ɪn ˌwʌnz ən ˈtuːz/ [adverb]
if people or things arrive, leave etc in ones or twos, they arrive etc on their own or in very small groups :
▪ There were only about fifty people in the hall, standing around in ones and twos.