less traffic

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   a smaller amount of vehicles moving along a road at one time.

   Grammar: Traffic is uncountable, so use 'less', not 'fewer': less traffic, not fewer traffic.

   Patterns

   • less traffic than
   • less traffic on something
   • there is less traffic

   There is usually less traffic early in the morning.

   The new bridge means less traffic in the town center.

   We left at dawn to avoid the traffic, and there was much less traffic than expected.

Common combinations

less traffic than usual

The roads had less traffic than usual because of the holiday.

less traffic on the roads

Remote work has led to less traffic on the roads.

cause less traffic

Better public transport would cause less traffic.

much less traffic

There is much less traffic after 7 p.m.

Synonyms and how they differ

lighter traffic

Often used in traffic reports; it means the roads are less busy.

Opposites

Word family

traffic noun

Vehicles moving on a road.

traffic jam noun

A line of vehicles that cannot move.

Commonly confused: less traffic or fewer traffic?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “less traffic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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