small beer

noun

1

: weak or inferior beer

2

: something of small importance : trivia

small-beer

ˈsmȯl-ˈbir 

adjective

Did you know?

Small beer dates from Shakespeare's day. The Bard didn't coin it (the word has been in use since the 15th century, well before Shakespeare was born), but he did put the term to good use. In Henry VI, Part 2, for example, the rebel Jack Cade declares that, when he becomes king, he will "make it felony to drink small beer." In Othello, Desdemona asks Iago to describe a "deserving woman." Iago responds by listing praises for ten lines, only to conclude that such a woman would be suited "to suckle fools, and chronicle small beer"; in other words, to raise babies and keep track of insignificant household expenses. Desdemona quickly retorts, declaring Iago's assertion a "most lame and impotent conclusion."

Synonyms of small beer

• nothing
• triviality
• small change

Examples of small beer in a Sentence

the money we spend on cable is small beer compared to the mortgage payment we have to come up with every month

Recent Examples on the Web

In terms of drinks, colonists didn't have ways to purify their water, so people drank small beer or weak wine, Miller said. — Ava Berger, NPR, 28 June 2026

Pintxos bars offer a more informal experience, with small plates, small beers and a steady flow of conversation. — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2026

Compared to those turbulent days, the second biggest defeat of Parkinson's reign is very small beer. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

South of the Border Founded in 1949 by Alan Schafer as a small beer stand just south of the North Carolina–South Carolina line (hence the name), South of the Border grew into one of the most recognizable roadside attractions in the South. — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for small beer

• adhere
• ameer
• amir
• appear
• arrear
• astir
• austere
• career
• cashier
• cohere
• compere
• emir

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