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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Recent Examples of small beer
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.
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Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
And there's a possibility there may be a small beer garden near the barbecue area, but this detail had not yet been finalized.
—The Arizona Republic, 16 Aug. 2023
Twelve pieces max are complemented by a small beer and sake selection.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
But this is small beer compared to being willing to absorb a $6.7 billion dollar hit over a decade in service of Indiana’s SPI interests.
—Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for small beer 
Leslie Shapiro, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
And there's a possibility there may be a small beer garden near the barbecue area, but this detail had not yet been finalized.
—The Arizona Republic, 16 Aug. 2023
Twelve pieces max are complemented by a small beer and sake selection.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
But this is small beer compared to being willing to absorb a $6.7 billion dollar hit over a decade in service of Indiana’s SPI interests.
—Robert G. Eccles, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for small beer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small beer
Noun
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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
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But nothings more peaceful than tomorrow to a man going through pain today.Becca Longmire, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
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Any continuation of this conversation will veer far off from the triviality of Socrates’s political beliefs.Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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Although it was considered appropriately feminine for women to care for animals, women and femininity were also considered weaker, sillier, and more frivolous than men and masculinity; caring too much for other creatures came was considered a sign of fragility and triviality.Natalie Kinkade, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2024
Noun
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Obama said progress is made by making small changes over time and repeatedly urged the crowd to get out and vote.John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 23 Oct. 2024
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During those first 380,000 years, small changes in the density of the electron-proton-light plasma that filled space spread as sound waves, just as sound propagates through the air in a room.Marc Kamionkowski, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near small beer
Cite this Entry
“Small beer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20beer. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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