dribs and drabs


plural noun

small and usually irregular amounts: He repaid the loan in dribs and drabs.

Words nearby dribs and drabs

British Dictionary definitions for dribs and drabs

dribs and drabs
/ (drɪbz) /

pl n

small sporadic amounts

Idioms and Phrases with dribs and drabs

dribs and drabs

Bits and pieces, negligible amounts, as in There's not much left, just some dribs and drabs of samples. The noun drib is thought to be a shortening of driblet, for “drop” or “tiny quantity,” dating from the early 1700s, whereas drab meaning “a small sum of money” dates from the early 1800s.