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 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small beer
Noun
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My memoir was built of gaps, juxtaposition, weird little nothings.—
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The one whose legs turned nothings into somethings, improvising the Lions’ entire defensive game plan into a pile of ash?—
Noun
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Any continuation of this conversation will veer far off from the triviality of Socrates’s political beliefs.—
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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.—
Noun
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Dozens of trims that could raise costs for Americans Republicans are also considering a raft of proposals that would amount to small changes to the nation’s fiscal balance but could impose new costs on Americans.—
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If making small changes to your home’s interior with new decor and furniture finds is on your to-do list this year, good news: Wayfair has huge markdowns that are too steep to skip.—
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 1 Feb. 2025.
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