drop in the bucket
A tiny amount, especially when compared to a much larger one. I'm glad Tony started repaying the money he borrowed from me, but the five dollars he gave me yesterday is just a drop in the bucket compared to what he still owes. We've recruited hundreds of people to help, but it's still a drop in the bucket if we're going to clean up this oil spill in its entirety. Sure, I'd rather someone donate $20 than nothing, but it's just a drop in the bucket when you think of how much money we're trying to raise.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
drop in the bucket
and a drop in the oceanFig. an in significant contribution toward solving a large problem. Jane: We need to stop spending so much. Alan: OK. I'll buy a cheaper brand of toothpaste. Jane: But that's just a drop in the bucket. Many companies donated food and medicine to help the survivors of the earthquake, but it was just a drop in the ocean of what was needed.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
drop in the bucket
A very small quantity, especially one that is too small. For example, These contributions are just a drop in the bucket; the new church wing will cost thousands more . John Wycliffe's followers used this seemingly modern phrase in their translation of the Bible (1382), and it also appears in the 1611 King James version (Isaiah 40:15): "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
a drop in the bucket
An insufficient or inconsequential amount in comparison with what is required.
drop in the bucket
A small, inadequate quantity.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
drop in the bucket
A negligible amount, something that makes little difference. This expression is found in the King James version of the Bible: “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance” (Isaiah 40:15).
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer