drop in the ocean
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A small amount that makes little difference
Literally: a small amount of liquid added to a large body of water
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Her donation was just a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “drop in the ocean” mean?
A small amount that makes little difference Literally: a small amount of liquid added to a large body of water
Is “drop in the ocean” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.