A Drop in the Ocean (Idioms)

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Welcome to English in a Minute!

The ocean is huge. One single drop of liquid is very small. But what could this mean?

A Drop in the Ocean

Speaker A: Jonathan, would you like to give to my campaign, Save the Plankton?
Speaker B: Um, sure?
Speaker A: Great! I’ll put you down for $10. My goal is $1 million!
Speaker B: $1 million? My 10 is just a drop in the ocean.
Speaker A: Yes, but if everyone gives $10, the plankton will be saved.

The ocean has so much water in it. If you add another drop, it won’t make a difference.

To say “a drop in the ocean” means something is so small that it doesn’t seem likely to make a difference.

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*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.