Phrase guide

the straw that broke the camel's back

noun · 1 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.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden that renders it too much to bear; the small thing which causes failure, or causes inability or unwillingness to endure any more of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: the stroke that broke the camel's back

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Possibly from the proverb, recorded by Thomas Fuller in his Gnomologia (1732) as “’Tis the last Feather, that breaks the Horse’s Back.” This comes from an Arab proverb about loading up a camel beyond its capacity to move.

Across languages

Translations

32 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: la gota que fa vessar el vas — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Chinese Mandarin: 壓倒駱駝的最後一根草 /压倒骆驼的最后一根草 (yādǎo luòtuó de zuìhòu yī gēn cǎo) — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Czech: poslední kapka — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Czech: číše přetekla — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Czech: pohár trpělivosti přetekl — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Dutch: de druppel die de emmer doet overlopen — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Esperanto: la guto, kiu superbordigis la vazon — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Finnish: korsi, joka katkaisee kamelin selän — small additional burden which causes failure
  • French: la goutte d’eau qui fait déborder le vase — small additional burden which causes failure
  • German: der Tropfen, der das Fass zum Überlaufen bringt — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Greek: η σταγόνα που ξεχείλισε το ποτήρι (i stagóna pou xecheílise to potíri) — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Hebrew: הקש ששבר את גב הגמל (hakásh sheshavár ét gáv hagamál) — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Hungarian: az utolsó csepp a pohárban — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Icelandic: kornið sem fyllti mælinn — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Irish: buille maraithe na muice — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Italian: la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Italian: goccia che fa traboccare il vaso — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Khmer: ចំបើងដែលបំបាក់ខ្នងរបស់សត្វអូដ្ឋ (châmbaeungdêlbâmbakkhnângrô-bâssâtʼot) — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Polish: kropla, która przepełnia czarę — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Portuguese: a gota que transbordou o copo — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Romanian: picătura care a umplut paharul — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Russian: ка́пля, перепо́лнившая ча́шу (káplja, perepólnivšaja čášu) — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Scottish Gaelic: théid capall don choille ach brisidh aon uallach a chridhe — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Serbo-Croatian: ка̑п ко̀ја̄ је прѐлила ча̏шу — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Serbo-Croatian: kȃp kòjā je prèlila čȁšu — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Spanish: la gota que colmó el vaso — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Spanish: la gota que rebalsó el vaso — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Spanish: la gota que derramó el vaso — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Swedish: droppen som fick bägaren att rinna över — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Thai: ฟางเส้นสุดท้ายที่ทําให้หลังอูฐหัก — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Turkish: bardağı taşıran son damla — small additional burden which causes failure
  • Vietnamese: Giọt nước làm tràn ly — small additional burden which causes failure