Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - dregs

1. The dregs of a liquid are the last drops left at the bottom of a container, together with any solid bits that have sunk to the bottom. Colum drained the dregs from his cup. N-PLURAL: usu the N c darkgreen]disapproval 2. If you talk about the dregs of society or of a community, you mean the people in it who you consider to be the most worthless and bad. He sees dissidents as the dregs of society. N-PLURAL: usu the N of n c darkgreen]disapproval