| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024few /fyu/USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., pron. adj. [before a plural noun] - not many but more than one;
scarcely any;
hardly any:Few artists live luxuriously. - some;
several:[a + ~]A few artists did manage to live luxuriously.
n. [plural* used with a plural verb] - a small number or amount:[a + ~]Did everyone go home? No, a few were still waiting.
- the few, a special, limited number;
the minority:a concert that appeals to the few.
pron. [plural] - a small number of persons or things:Many are called, but few are chosen.
Idioms- Idioms few and far between, placed at widely separated intervals;
not frequent or plentiful:Chances like this are few and far between. - Idioms quite a few, [before a plural noun] a fairly large number of;
many:He had quite a few girlfriends.
When few is used with a noun, the noun is plural:few speakers; a few speakers; quite a few speakers.Note also the slight difference in meaning between few and a few. When few is used without a the meaning is "a small amount of; not as many as expected'':Few learners can hope to speak Chinese perfectly.When a few is used, the meaning is more positive: "some, but not many'':A few learners can hope to speak Chinese perfectly.See little. In many grammar books, fewer and less are opposed. fewer should be used with plural count nouns:fewer books,while less is only to be used with noncount nouns:less money.In informal style, many speakers use less before plural nouns:less books,but never use fewer before noncount nouns; no one would say:fewer money. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024few (fyo̅o̅),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, n., pron. adj. - not many but more than one:Few artists live luxuriously.
- Idioms few and far between, at widely separated intervals;
infrequent:In Nevada the towns are few and far between.
n. - (used with a pl. v.) a small number or amount:Send me a few.
- Idioms quite a few, a fairly large number;
many:There were quite a few interesting things to do. - the few, a special, limited number;
the minority:That music appeals to the few.
pron. - (used with a pl. v.) a small number of persons or things:A dozen people volunteered, but few have shown up.
- bef. 900; Middle English fewe, Old English fēawe; cognate with Gothic fawai; akin to Latin paucus few, paulus little, pauper poor, Greek paûros little, few
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: few /fjuː/ determiner - a small number of; hardly any: few men are so cruel
- (as pronoun; functioning as plural): many are called but few are chosen
- (preceded by a) a small number of: a few drinks
- (as pronoun; functioning as plural): a few of you
- a good few ⇒ informal several
- few and far between ⇒ at great intervals; widely spaced
- not abundant; scarce
- not a few, quite a few ⇒ informal several
n - the few ⇒ a small number of people considered as a class: the few who fell at Thermopylae
Etymology: Old English fēawa; related to Old High German fao little, Old Norse fār little, silentˈfewness n USAGE
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