The Tip of the Iceberg.
English
idiom
The visible or obvious part of a larger, hidden problem or situation.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
The visible or obvious part of a larger, hidden problem or situation.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
A small, visible part of a much larger problem or situation that is mostly hidden.
The tip of the iceberg refers to what can be seen on the surface, while the real scale of the issue lies beneath.
It is used to warn that what is visible is only a fraction of the full picture.
"Just the Surface"
—
Looking only at the most obvious, superficial level of something without deeper examination
"A Drop in the Ocean"
—
A very small contribution compared to the vast scale of what is needed
"The Tip of the Iceberg"
—
The small visible part of a much larger hidden problem or situation
We've had five customer refund requests this week — that's unusual.
Five is probably just the tip of the iceberg — let's pull the full data.
I've only told you a bit of what's going on — it's actually a lot worse.
I had a feeling that was just the tip of the iceberg. Take your time.
The news only covered one story from that report.
That's the tip of the iceberg — the full document has dozens of serious findings.
