Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
A drop in the ocean
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "A drop in the ocean" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourResources, Money, & Value collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
A drop in the ocean
A very small amount of something compared to the much larger amount that is needed or expected.
History & Origin
The idiom trace its roots back to ancient religious texts, most notably appearing in the Bible in the Book of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach 18:10), which describes human life as 'a drop of water from the sea.' It was later popularized in the English language through various classical translations and literary works as a way to visualize insignificance against an immense backdrop. Over time, the phrase shifted slightly from 'a drop in a bucket' to 'a drop in the ocean' to emphasize an even greater scale of insignificance.
Examples
The government's new million-dollar grant for affordable housing is welcome, but critics argue it is just a drop in the ocean compared to the billions required to solve the crisis.
Thank you for cutting your department's travel costs by fifty dollars, but unfortunately, that savings is a drop in the ocean when we are facing a million-dollar budget deficit.
Individual recycling efforts, while noble, are merely a drop in the ocean unless major industrial corporations are held accountable for their global carbon emissions.
I tried to help clean up the messy house by washing one single fork, but honestly, it felt like a drop in the ocean.
Every donation we receive tonight matters; what may seem to you like a drop in the ocean can combine with others to create a wave of global change.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. After swimming for hours in the hot sun, drinking a cold glass of water felt like a drop in the ocean.
B. The company needs to raise ten million dollars to avoid bankruptcy, so your ten-dollar donation is just a drop in the ocean.
C. She was so incredibly angry that she let out a drop in the ocean and slammed the door behind her.
D. Because the stadium was completely packed, finding my friend in the crowd was as easy as a drop in the ocean.