Idiom
the straw that broke the camel's back
Meaning
A small and seemingly insignificant addition to a burden that renders it too much to bear; the small thing which causes failure, or causes inability or unwillingness to endure any more of something.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The last delay was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
“This loud noise is the straw that broke the camel's back.”
“He had been unhappy at his job for months, but the extra weekend shift was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
“My old car had many small leaks, but the broken heater was the straw that broke the camel's back, so I finally sold it.”
“The couple argued about chores for years, and forgetting the grocery list was the straw that broke the camel's back for their relationship.”
“While the team had endured several minor setbacks throughout the project, the sudden loss of funding proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.”
Examples
simple
“The last delay was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
“This loud noise is the straw that broke the camel's back.”
contextual
“He had been unhappy at his job for months, but the extra weekend shift was the straw that broke the camel's back.”
“My old car had many small leaks, but the broken heater was the straw that broke the camel's back, so I finally sold it.”
“The couple argued about chores for years, and forgetting the grocery list was the straw that broke the camel's back for their relationship.”
complex
“While the team had endured several minor setbacks throughout the project, the sudden loss of funding proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back.”
Origin
Possibly from the proverb, recorded by Thomas Fuller in his Gnomologia (1732) as “Tis the last feather that breaks the horse's back.” This comes from an Arab proverb about loading up a camel beyond its capacity to move.
Key words
Related idioms
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