drop in the bucket

1. A very small quantity, especially one that is too small. For example, These contributions are just a drop in the bucket; the new church wing will cost thousands more. John Wycliffe's followers used this seemingly modern phrase in their translation of the Bible (1382), and it also appears in the 1611 King James version (Isaiah 40:15): “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance.”

Example Sentences

But wildfire experts say that’s just a drop in the bucket.

From Los Angeles Times

The head of the UN's World Food Programme warned on Sunday that the aid was only a "drop in the bucket" of what was needed in the territory to reverse the catastrophic levels of hunger, amid significant shortages of basic foods and skyrocketing prices.

From BBC

It’s a highly symbolic event, with a number of very rich attendees, for whom an expensive package of photos is a drop in the bucket coming on top of years of educational investment.

From Slate

However, the head of the UN's World Food Programme warned on Sunday that the aid was only a "drop in the bucket" of what was needed in the territory to reverse the catastrophic levels of hunger, amid significant shortages of basic foods and skyrocketing prices.

From BBC

“This is a tiny drop in the bucket of what is actually necessary to right-size our Fire Department in Los Angeles,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bit 
• trivial amount www.thesaurus.com