dregs

dregs — plural noun

1. the bits of solid matter and last little drops left in the lowest part of a drin

1.複數名詞B2
釋義

the bits of solid matter and last little drops left in the lowest part of a drink after most of it has been used

例句

Hiro tipped the cup carefully so the coffee dregs stayed at the bottom.

drink context: coffee dregs at the bottom

After the party, Yael poured the wine dregs into the sink.

collocation: wine dregs

同義詞
  • grounds

    narrower and mainly used for coffee or tea particles

  • sediment

    more neutral and often used in scientific or technical contexts

  • lees

    specialist word, especially for wine deposits

文法句型

the dregs of the coffee/tea/wine

leave the dregs in + container

drink the dregs

用法筆記

Always plural in ordinary use. This sense is most often used for coffee, tea, or wine left in the container, and it usually suggests something you do not want to drink.

常見錯誤

❌There was a dreg at the bottom of my coffee.
✅There were dregs at the bottom of my coffee.
💡In normal everyday use, this word is usually plural.
❌I drank the dregs of my plate.
✅I drank the dregs of my cup.
💡This sense is used for the remains of a drink, not food on a plate.

2. the little amount that still remains when nearly all of something else has alrea

2.複數名詞C1
釋義

the little amount that still remains when nearly all of something else has already gone

例句

By spring, only the dregs of winter snow remained beside the barn.

pattern: the dregs of + noun

The village lived on the dregs of last year's food supply.

同義詞
  • remainder

    more neutral and does not suggest something poor or worn out

  • remnant

    often suggests a surviving piece of something larger

  • vestige

    more formal and often used for a very faint remaining trace

文法句型

the dregs of + noun

live on the dregs of + noun

only the dregs of + noun remain

用法筆記

Also always plural. Unlike sense 3, this sense can be neutral and simply points to the last small amount that is still there.

常見錯誤

❌The dregs of our savings were enough to buy a car.
✅The dregs of our savings only covered the bus fare home.
💡This sense refers to a very small remainder, not a large useful amount.
❌The dregs of the month just started.
✅We were living through the dregs of the month.
💡This sense is used for what is left at the end, not for the beginning.

3. the people or things judged to be the least respectable and least valuable part

3.複數名詞C1
釋義

the people or things judged to be the least respectable and least valuable part of a group

例句

Many voters saw the gang as the dregs of society.

fixed phrase: the dregs of society

Hugo called the fake dealers the dregs of the art world.

同義詞
  • scum

    stronger and more insulting, usually only for people

  • riffraff

    informal and used for disreputable or noisy people

  • trash

    informal and broad; can be about people, behaviour, or low quality things

文法句型

the dregs of society

the dregs of + group/place

see/call + noun + the dregs of + group

用法筆記

This sense is strongly disapproving and often appears in phrases like 'the dregs of society'. Unlike sense 2, it adds contempt, not just the idea of what is left.

常見錯誤

❌She called the dregs of society generous neighbours.
✅She called the fraud ring the dregs of society.
💡This sense is an insult and is used for people or things judged contemptible.
❌The dregs of the class won the prize.
✅The top students won the prize.
💡This sense describes the worst part of a group, not the best part.