Standard Lemma guide

dregs

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • drĕgs
  • /dɹɛɡz/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛɡz
  • CMU ARPABET: D R EH1 G Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The sediment settled at the bottom of a liquid; the lees in a container of unfiltered wine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural, plural-normally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The worst and lowest part of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, plural, plural-normally

Qualifier: the dregs

Examples

  • the dregs of society
  • I sat through the dregs of a long hectic evening.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

sediment that has settled at the bottom of a liquid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: settlings

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sediment, deposit

Narrower terms: grounds

History

Etymology

See dreg.

Across languages

Translations

140 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: afsaksel — settled sediment
  • Arabic: تُفْل (tufl) — settled sediment
  • Armenian: տականք (takankʻ) — settled sediment
  • Armenian: մրուր (mrur) — settled sediment
  • Armenian: դիրտ (dirt) — settled sediment
  • Armenian: նստվածք (nstvackʻ) — settled sediment
  • Bulgarian: ута́йка (utájka) — settled sediment
  • Catalan: pòsit — settled sediment
  • Catalan: solatge — settled sediment
  • Chuvash: лӗкӗ (lĕk̬ĕ) — settled sediment
  • Czech: sedlina — settled sediment
  • Danish: bundfald — settled sediment
  • Dutch: bezinksel — settled sediment
  • Dutch: droesem — settled sediment
  • Dutch: drab — settled sediment
  • Esperanto: feĉo — settled sediment
  • Finnish: sakka — settled sediment
  • Finnish: porot — settled sediment
  • French: lie — settled sediment
  • Gagauz: çöküntü — settled sediment
  • Galician: borra — settled sediment
  • Georgian: ცხიმოვანი ნარჩენები (cximovani narčenebi) — settled sediment
  • German: Bodensatz — settled sediment
  • German: Satz — settled sediment
  • German: Sediment — settled sediment
  • German: Niederschlag — settled sediment
  • German: Feststoff — settled sediment
  • Greek: κατακάθι (katakáthi) — settled sediment
  • Ancient Greek: τρύξ (trúx) — settled sediment
  • Hebrew: מִשְׁקָע — settled sediment
  • Hindi: तलछट (talchaṭ) — settled sediment
  • Icelandic: dreggjar — settled sediment
  • Icelandic: botnfall — settled sediment
  • Indonesian: ampas — settled sediment
  • Ingrian: rapa — settled sediment
  • Irish: moirt — settled sediment
  • Irish: dríodar — settled sediment
  • Irish: amhaisc — settled sediment
  • Irish: gríodán — settled sediment
  • Italian: sedimento — settled sediment
  • Kalmyk: шавхр (şavxr) — settled sediment
  • Komi-Zyrian: гудыр (gudyr) — settled sediment
  • Komi-Zyrian: неджӧг (ńedžög) — settled sediment
  • Komi-Zyrian: пуксьӧм (pukśöm) — settled sediment
  • Central Kurdish: تِڵپ (tillp) — settled sediment
  • Central Kurdish: تِڵپە (tillpe) — settled sediment
  • Central Kurdish: تِڵف (tillf) — settled sediment
  • Central Kurdish: تِڵتە (tillte) — settled sediment
  • Southern Kurdish: سِڵپ (sillp) — settled sediment
  • Latin: faex — settled sediment
  • Latvian: duļķes — settled sediment
  • Māori: waipara — settled sediment
  • Māori: whaipara — settled sediment
  • Eastern Mari: куча (kuča) — settled sediment
  • Eastern Mari: шундем (šundem) — settled sediment
  • Eastern Mari: шундык (šundyk) — settled sediment
  • Eastern Mari: румбык (rumbyk) — settled sediment
  • Western Mari: рӹвӹнзӹк (rÿvÿnzÿk) — settled sediment
  • Western Mari: ӹрвӹнзӹк (ÿrvÿnzÿk) — settled sediment
  • Persian: لرد (lerd) — settled sediment
  • Persian: درد (dord) — settled sediment
  • Polish: fusy — settled sediment
  • Polish: osad — settled sediment
  • Portuguese: borra — settled sediment
  • Romanian: zaț — settled sediment
  • Romanian: drojdie — settled sediment
  • Romanian: sediment — settled sediment
  • Russian: оса́док (osádok) — settled sediment
  • Russian: отсто́й (otstój) — settled sediment
  • Russian: отбро́сы (otbrósy) — settled sediment
  • Russian: муть (mutʹ) — settled sediment
  • Russian: гу́ща (gúšča) — settled sediment
  • Sardinian: feche — settled sediment
  • Sardinian: feghe — settled sediment
  • Sardinian: fexa — settled sediment
  • Sardinian: fexi — settled sediment
  • Scottish Gaelic: grùid — settled sediment
  • Scottish Gaelic: drabhas — settled sediment
  • Scottish Gaelic: druaip — settled sediment
  • Serbo-Croatian: talog — settled sediment
  • Spanish: poso — settled sediment
  • Spanish: concho — settled sediment
  • Spanish: heces — settled sediment
  • Spanish: hez — settled sediment
  • Spanish: depósito — settled sediment
  • Spanish: culín — settled sediment
  • Swedish: bottensats — settled sediment
  • Swedish: drägg — settled sediment
  • Tagalog: laro — settled sediment
  • Tajik: дурда (durda) — settled sediment
  • Tajik: таҳшин (tahšin) — settled sediment
  • Tajik: шитта (šitta) — settled sediment
  • Ottoman Turkish: تلوه (telve) — settled sediment
  • Udmurt: маял (majal) — settled sediment
  • Udmurt: пыды (pydy) — settled sediment
  • Udmurt: напра (napra) — settled sediment
  • Ukrainian: гу́ща (húšča) — settled sediment
  • Vietnamese: cặn — settled sediment
  • Welsh: gwaddod — settled sediment
  • Welsh: gwaelodion — settled sediment
  • Welsh: sorod — settled sediment
  • Yiddish: הושטשע (hushtshe) — settled sediment
  • Arabic: حُثالَة (ḥuṯāla) — the worst and lowest
  • Armenian: տականք (takankʻ) — the worst and lowest
  • Chinese Mandarin: 渣滓 (zhāzǐ) — the worst and lowest
  • Czech: vyvrhel — the worst and lowest
  • Danish: bundfald — the worst and lowest
  • Danish: bærme — the worst and lowest
  • Esperanto: aĉoj — the worst and lowest
  • Esperanto: aĉuloj — the worst and lowest
  • Esperanto: feĉo — the worst and lowest
  • Finnish: pohjasakka — the worst and lowest
  • Finnish: roskajoukko — the worst and lowest
  • Finnish: roskaväki — the worst and lowest
  • French: lie — the worst and lowest
  • German: Abschaum — the worst and lowest
  • German: Dreck — the worst and lowest
  • Ancient Greek: σκύβαλον (skúbalon) — the worst and lowest
  • Icelandic: sori — the worst and lowest
  • Icelandic: úrhrak — the worst and lowest
  • Italian: feccia — the worst and lowest
  • Latin: faex — the worst and lowest
  • Latin: sentina — the worst and lowest
  • Polish: męty — the worst and lowest
  • Polish: szumowiny — the worst and lowest
  • Portuguese: escória — the worst and lowest
  • Romanian: drojdie — the worst and lowest
  • Russian: отбро́сы (otbrósy) — the worst and lowest
  • Russian: отре́бье (otrébʹje) — the worst and lowest
  • Russian: подо́нки (podónki) — the worst and lowest
  • Spanish: escoria — the worst and lowest
  • Spanish: mugre — the worst and lowest
  • Spanish: hez — the worst and lowest
  • Swedish: bottenskrap — the worst and lowest
  • Swedish: drägg — the worst and lowest
  • Swedish: avskum — the worst and lowest
  • Vietnamese: cặn bã — the worst and lowest
  • Welsh: gwaddod — the worst and lowest
  • Welsh: gwaelodion — the worst and lowest
  • Welsh: sorod — the worst and lowest