Few | Mean of few in English Dictionary

/ˈfjuː/

• not many
1. Few people came.
2. the next/last/past few weeks
3. I know (very) few people in the class.
4. Music is one of my (very) few pleasures.
5. He caught fewer fish than the rest of us.
6. There are fewer children at the school this year.
7. Not many people came, but the few people who did enjoyed themselves.
8. Few (if any) people understand me.
• not many but some
1. Only/Just a few people came.
2. We went out for a few drinks after work.
3. I know a few people in the class.
4. The train leaves in a few minutes.
5. Quite a few students from our high school go on to college.
• not common or frequent
1. Really good movies are few and far between. [=there are not many really good movies]
2. Opportunities like that are few and far between.

• at least
1. No fewer than 1,000 people attended the meeting.
2. No fewer than 80 percent of registered voters turned out for the primary.
• not many people or things
1. (Very) Few came.
2. His stories may be entertaining, but few (if any) are true. = They may be entertaining, but few (if any) of his stories are true.
3. There are many students in the class, but I know very few (of them).
4. “Never…was so much owed by so many to so few.” Sir Winston Churchill, Speech (August, 1940)
• some people or things
1. A few came.
2. I bought several magazines and I read a few (of them).
3. Unfortunately, a few of the people who came failed to enjoy themselves.
4. We gave away most of the photographs but we kept a few (of them).
5. They sold a few of the books.
6. She met a few of my relatives.
7. Not all our students go on to college, but quite a few (of them) do. [=a large number of our students do]
• a small number of people or things that are chosen or regarded as special or unusual in some way
1. A select few will receive advance tickets.
2. A sophisticated movie like this only appeals to the discriminating few.
• to have too many alcoholic drinks
1. We could tell from his slurred speech that he'd had a few.
2. It looks like she had a few too many.