as in nothing
something of little importance
the money we spend on cable is small beer compared to the mortgage payment we have to come up with every month
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small beer
This is small beer for a government committing genocide (according to the U.S. State Department and other bodies).
—
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 30 July 2024
This includes fresh paint in several places, some new concession stands, a small beer garden, new lights, and perhaps most notably, two new video boards flanking the stage.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2024
And while goofing around in a theater was fun, the challenge and buzz of playing for knowing audiences was small beer indeed compared to the whole-of-being workout of doing undercover improv on national tv and radio.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2024
Another type of small beer — so named because of its low alcohol content, typically 2 to 4 percent — was made by reusing grain from a previous brew.
—Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for small beer
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 30 July 2024
This includes fresh paint in several places, some new concession stands, a small beer garden, new lights, and perhaps most notably, two new video boards flanking the stage.
—Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2024
And while goofing around in a theater was fun, the challenge and buzz of playing for knowing audiences was small beer indeed compared to the whole-of-being workout of doing undercover improv on national tv and radio.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2024
Another type of small beer — so named because of its low alcohol content, typically 2 to 4 percent — was made by reusing grain from a previous brew.
—Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for small beer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small beer
Noun
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My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
Cheri Lucas Rowlands,
Longreads,
16 Dec. 2024
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The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Sean Keeler,
The Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2024
Noun
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As a society navigating the choppy waters of quick-draw feuds and biting vitriol—no matter the triviality or seriousness of the topic in question—we are often cowered into joining the chorus versus belting out a solo for fear of being singled out.—
Christina L. Sgro,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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In other words, no drugs, alcohol abuse, tardiness, triviality, egocentricity.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In video imagery, small changes frame to frame can lead to jitter in the background or problems like, in the Coke ad, people in the crowd looking too big relative to the scale of other objects in the scene.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Be sure to recognize even small changes and improvements.—
Dr. Susan Buttross/American Academy of Pediatrics,
Boston Herald,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Small beer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20beer. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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