a few
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
a small, indefinite number
Literally: a small number of
Register: neutral
Examples
I have a few friends coming over tonight
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR A1); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “a few” mean?
a small, indefinite number Literally: a small number of
Is “a few” formal or informal?
a few is generally neutral.