dreg

American

[dreg] / drɛg /

noun

dregs, the sediment of liquids; lees; grounds.
Usually dregs. the least valuable part of anything.

the dregs of society.
a small remnant; any small quantity.

dreg British

/ drɛɡ /

noun

a small quantity See also dregs

not a dreg of pity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dreg

1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse dreg yeast (plural dreggjar dregs); cognate with Old Swedish dräg dregs

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many fishermen feel they're being left the dregs once the seas have been divided up by other industries.

From BBC

Tominaga, who averaged just 5.7 points last season, powered a Cornhuskers run that included wins over Penn State, Wisconsin and Rutgers and dragged them out of the dregs of the Big Ten.

From Washington Post

Others burned industrial oil residue, the dregs left over after pressing olives for oil, tires, old clothes or simply trash they sent their children out to gather from the street.

From New York Times

Conceivably, Seattle will try to somehow cobble together a roster from the dregs of the free agency market that can compete with the super teams being built in Las Vegas and New York.

From Seattle Times

Serve cocktails out of them, using any dregs of preserves as flavoring, before finally cleaning them out and giving them a permanent spot on your bar cart.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023