- fewer
- I. pronoun, plural in construction Date: before 12th century a smaller number of persons or things II. adjective comparative of few Usage: see less
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
fewer — fewer, less As a general guide, fewer is used with plural nouns (fewer books, fewer people) and indicates number, whereas less is used with singular nouns and indicates amount (less money / less happiness). However, there is an extensive no man s … Modern English usage
fewer — *less, lesser, smaller … New Dictionary of Synonyms
fewer — adjective (comparative of few used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of (Freq. 11) fewer birds came this year the birds are fewer this year fewer trains were late • Ant: ↑more • Similar to: ↑l … Useful english dictionary
Fewer — Few Few (f[=u]), a. [Compar. {Fewer} (f[=u] [ e]r); superl. {Fewest}.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe[ a], pl. fe[ a]we; akin to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
fewer — /fyooh euhr/, adj. 1. of a smaller number: fewer words and more action. pron. 2. (used with a pl. v.) a smaller number: Fewer have come than we hoped. [ME fewere, OE *feawran. See FEW, ER4] Usage. See less. * * * … Universalium
fewer — few•er [[t]ˈfyu ər[/t]] adj. 1) of a smaller number: fewer words and more action[/ex] 2) fun (used with a pl. v.) a smaller number: Fewer have come than we hoped[/ex] • Etymology: ME fewere, OE usage: See less … From formal English to slang
fewer — See fewer, less … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
fewer / less — Fewer should be used when talking about things that can be counted: Lureen has fewer ideas than you; also a few keys, few clouds, few values, few diseases. Less is used when talking about things that can t be counted: Lureen shows less… … Confused words
fewer / less — Fewer should be used when talking about things that can be counted: Lureen has fewer ideas than you; also a few keys, few clouds, few values, few diseases. Less is used when talking about things that can t be counted: Lureen shows less… … Confused words
fewer, less — In the first four months of the year Rome s tourists were 700,000 less than in the corresponding period last year (Guardian). Probably no other pair of words causes more problems, and with less justification, than less and fewer. The… … Dictionary of troublesome word
fewer vs less — Everyone gets this wrong including native speakers. The general rule is to use fewer for things you can count (individually), and less for things you can only measure For example: There were fewer people in the class than usual. (People can … English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words