A drop in the ocean means far too little compared with what is needed. People say it about money, help or effort that hardly changes anything next to a big task. It's often strengthened with just or only.
When would you say a drop in the ocean?
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be + (just/only) a drop in the ocean; a drop in the ocean + compared to/next to + noun
- We raised £500 for the new library, but that's only a drop in the ocean compared to what it needs.
- Recycling one bottle feels like a drop in the ocean, yet small habits add up.
- My summer job pays well, but it's a drop in the ocean next to my student loan.
What changed
First versionOur donation was just a drop in the sea.
RevisionOur donation was just a drop in the ocean.
Sea and ocean can seem interchangeable, so a drop in the sea may sound right. But the fixed expression uses ocean. With sea, the idiom sounds like a clumsy retelling, so only that word was changed.
In American English, the same idea is more often a drop in the bucket: Our donation is a drop in the bucket. Don't confuse it with the tip of the iceberg: that's the small visible part of a big hidden problem, not a tiny contribution: These complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.
Your turn
Our charity collected £200, but the hospital needs £2 million for the new wing. Our money is only ___.
Show the answer
a drop in the ocean — £200 against two million is a tiny contribution, so it's a drop in the ocean. The tip of the iceberg describes the visible part of a big hidden problem, but here we're talking about money to help.
Write about a problem in your town or at work that people are trying to solve. Say what has already been done and how much is really needed.
Our office bought two new laptops, but that's a drop in the ocean, because we really need twenty for the whole team.
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