dreg
noun
ˈdreg 
1
: sediment contained in a liquid or precipitated (see precipitate entry 1 sense 3a) from it : lees —usually used in plural
coffee dregs at the bottom of the cup
2
: the most undesirable part —usually used in plural
the dregs of society
3
: the last remaining part : vestige —usually used in plural
the last dregs of fuel
dreggy
ˈdre-gē
adjective 
Synonyms
- deposit
- deposition
- grounds
- precipitate
- sediment
- settlings
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Add apple cider, stock or the dregs from a bottle of wine. 
Ali Slagle, New York Times, 12 May 2020 The Redskins expected to be a contender for the NFC East title, not scuffling among the dregs of the NFL. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 10 Oct. 2019 Because of the siege by intellectuals (never mind the dregs) on Jewish sovereignty and liberty and independence. David Kipen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2020 The Detroit Pistons have played poorly against the dregs of the Eastern Conference. Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2019 This is a wintry beer, meant to warm you up during the dregs of January and February. Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2020 Erasing kids from the elements of play drains all the potential magic from this show, leaving us with mere Peter Pan dregs. Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020 But as Memphis and Iowa a month ago showed, in contests against likely NCAA Tournament teams with deeper rosters than the dregs of the AAC, Cincinnati's bench has to contribute for the Bearcats to keep up. Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, 18 Jan. 2020 After six games this year, the Lovie Smith era looked like an utter failure, as his record against FBS opponents fell to 9-31 with nearly all of those wins coming against the dregs of college football. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2019 See More
Ali Slagle, New York Times, 12 May 2020 The Redskins expected to be a contender for the NFC East title, not scuffling among the dregs of the NFL. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 10 Oct. 2019 Because of the siege by intellectuals (never mind the dregs) on Jewish sovereignty and liberty and independence. David Kipen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2020 The Detroit Pistons have played poorly against the dregs of the Eastern Conference. Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2019 This is a wintry beer, meant to warm you up during the dregs of January and February. Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2020 Erasing kids from the elements of play drains all the potential magic from this show, leaving us with mere Peter Pan dregs. Robyn Bahr, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2020 But as Memphis and Iowa a month ago showed, in contests against likely NCAA Tournament teams with deeper rosters than the dregs of the AAC, Cincinnati's bench has to contribute for the Bearcats to keep up. Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, 18 Jan. 2020 After six games this year, the Lovie Smith era looked like an utter failure, as his record against FBS opponents fell to 9-31 with nearly all of those wins coming against the dregs of college football. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Old Norse dregg; perhaps akin to Latin fraces dregs of oil
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1