dregs

British  

/ drɛɡz /

plural noun

1. solid particles that tend to settle at the bottom of some liquids, such as wine or coffee

2. residue or remains

3. slang a despicable person

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Etymology

Origin of dregs

C14 dreg, from Old Norse dregg; compare Icelandic dreggjar dregs, Latin fracēs oil dregs

Explanation

Those little grains of tea or coffee left at the bottom of the cup are known as the dregs. The dregs are the least wanted portion, or the residue. Literally speaking, dregs refers to sediment at the bottom of a liquid such as tea, but figuratively you can use dregs to mean “a small amount left.” If you are running out of food in your refrigerator, you might say, “We’re down to the dregs in here.” Dregs is also used in the same way as the expression “bottom of the barrel.” The “dregs of society,” for instance, is a negative phrase that describes people whom the speaker considers to be useless.

Example Sentences

The singer also appeared on records with French jazz group Troc in the 1970s, American rock band the Dregs in the 1980s, and the Grateful Dead spinoff project Go Ahead in the late 1980s.

From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

The label went bankrupt in 1979 but was revived in the early 1990s; Mr. Sandlin rejoined Capricorn then and worked with the Southern bands Widespread Panic and the Dixie Dregs.

From New York Times • Sep. 22, 2017

The protagonist of "Dead in the Dregs" is Babe Stern, an ex-Seattle sommelier who runs a bar in California's Sonoma County.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2010

And whatever discord existed between Wylan and his father, Jesper doubted Wylan wanted to hash it out in front of the Dregs and Matthias.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Fifth Harbor had made the old man very rich, and cemented the Dregs as real players in the Barrel in a way that not even the success of the Crow Club had.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo