
a drop in the bucket
This page is about the idiom a drop in the bucket

Meaning
If an amount is a drop in the bucket, it's a very small portion of the amount that's needed.
For example
- Our government's sending a thousand tons of food, but that's just a drop in the bucket compared to what's needed.
- I know twenty dollars is just a drop in the bucket, but if everyone gave that much it'd make a big difference.
The British and Australian equivalent is "a drop in the ocean".
Variety
This idiom is typically used in American English but may be used in other varieties of English too.
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Contributor: Matt Errey