Literally speaking, dregs refers to sediment at the bottom of a liquid such as tea, but figuratively you can use dregs to mean “a small amount left.” If you are running out of food in your refrigerator, you might say, “We’re down to the dregs in here.” Dregs is also used in the same way as the expression “bottom of the barrel.” The “dregs of society,” for instance, is a negative phrase that describes people whom the speaker considers to be useless.