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A drop in the ocean

Phrase of the day

Discover a new phrase each day to use in your English! These are special phrases and sayings that English speakers use all the time, but you don't often see these phrases in English course books or other study material. Visit daily to learn some popular English phrases on a regular basis.

5 February 2026

A drop in the ocean

We use this expression to say that a quantity - usually money - is not very important for someone or something.

Written: Yes

Spoken: Yes

Formal: No

Informal: Yes

Example 1

She wears a lot of expensive jewellery. That gold ring must be worth thousands!

Sure, but she's a multi-millionaire, so that's a drop in the ocean for her.

Example 2

The government is spending £2 million on improving car parking in the city.

Yes, but that's a drop in the ocean compared to what they spend on arms.

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