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# less

«less» in Mova's school dictionary: **a smaller amount: less sugar** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective, determiner, adverb, pronoun (less, least); preposition (ten less two)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Less means a smaller amount: less sugar. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#m1)

2) Less means not so much: less noisy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#m2)

3) «Less than» compares two amounts: 5 is less than 8 (5 < 8). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#m3)

4) In maths talk, «less» can mean minus: ten less two is eight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#m4)

5) Least means the smallest amount of all. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#m5)

6) «Nothing less than» means only the very thing named, and nothing smaller. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#m6)

### sense in the lessons

having a smaller amount after a change («give some away, you have less: subtract»); or comparing two amounts («3 pounds less than a book»); the sign < means «less than»; in everyday life «less noise», «more or less» (about), «at least»

### examples

- If you give some away to a friend, you have less: subtract. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x1)
- A pen costs 3 pounds less than a book. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x2)
- Kim has less juice than Tom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x3)
- 5 is less than 9. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x4)
- 12 less 4 is 8. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x5)
- Please make less noise. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x6)
- Eat less sugar and more fruit. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x7)
- Who has the least money? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x8)
- He was accused of nothing less than murder. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/#x9)

### note

Ending up with less = subtract. Trap: «less … than» compares two amounts and may ask for a difference. Teachers prefer «less» with things you cannot count (less water) and «fewer» with things you can (fewer apples). «Less than» and the sign < point to the smaller number.

### In the corpora

- [Employers often glance at a CV for less than a minute, so grown-ups fuss over every word.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/7/)
- [Hot water costs energy to heat, so long showers cost money and leave less for the next person.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/6-paying-for-a-home-and-the-bills/20/)
- [Inflation means prices rise over time, so the same pound buys less; if pay rises more slowly, families are worse off.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/11/)
- [Own-brand food is often made in a similar way to famous brands but costs less because there is no big advertising.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/9-when-money-is-tight/14/)
- [A landlord is allowed to raise the rent, usually with warning, and a rise leaves less money for other things.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/10-moving-house-and-renting-a-home/12/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «less» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/less/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.