few
n.n. a small number of people or things. You use it to show that there are not many of something, often fewer than you expected.
n. a small, indefinite number of persons or things. Functions as a quantifier or pronoun; often implies a sense of scarcity or insufficiency compared to 'a few'.
Many people applied for the job, but only a few were chosen.
While the store was crowded this morning, only a few of the customers actually bought anything.
The committee interviewed dozens of candidates, yet only a few possessed the specific technical expertise required to manage the project's final phase.
From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic fau, from Proto-Germanic fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”), Old Norse fár (“few”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (faus, “few”). Also related with Latin paucus (“little, few”) and pauper (“poor”), from which latter English poor and pauper; see these.
Functions as a plural pronoun and takes a plural verb. Often contrasted with 'a few', where 'few' emphasizes the smallness of the number and 'a few' emphasizes that there are some.
There are few of water in the bottleThere is little water in the bottleFew is used only with plural countable nouns; little is used with uncountable nouns like water.