Hyperbole examples

Overstate something on purpose to stress a feeling or point.

About Hyperbole Start lesson

Featured example

“I’m dying to hear how it went,” my sister texts the moment my interview ends.

Exaggeration: dying to hear

A sister is waiting to hear about a job interview.

Why it works

Nobody is really dying. The everyday overstatement shows how impatient and excited she is.

In plain words: She is very eager to hear the news.

More hyperbole examples

This suitcase has enough pockets to lose a whole second suitcase.
- Exaggeration: enough pockets to lose a whole suitcase
Someone jokes while searching for a small item.
Why it works
The speaker exaggerates what could be lost inside to emphasize the frustrating layout.
That one photo has been shown to every relative who ever lived.
- Exaggeration: every relative who ever lived
Someone gently teases a proud parent.
Why it works
Including relatives who are no longer alive makes the extent an obvious exaggeration.
I have opened that cupboard a thousand times since breakfast looking for the same charger.
- Exaggeration: a thousand times in one morning
Someone is hunting for a phone charger at home.
Why it works
Nobody opens a cupboard a thousand times in one morning. The inflated figure stresses how often, and how crossly, the speaker has searched.
“These are the best cakes this town has tasted in a hundred years,” Mr Rees calls out at the school fair.
- Exaggeration: the best cakes in a hundred years
A teacher is selling cakes to raise money at a school fair.
Why it works
Nobody could compare a hundred years of cakes, so “the best in a hundred years” is an obvious overstatement. The playful praise helps sell the cakes and raise money for the school.
“Blink as you drive through and you’ll miss our village,” Ellie tells a friend who is coming to stay.
- Exaggeration: the whole village passes in a blink
Ellie is giving directions to her small home village.
Why it works
Nobody drives past a whole village in one blink. The everyday overstatement shrinks the village to stress how tiny it is: hyperbole can make things smaller, too.

Easy to confuse

The archive contains two million scanned pages, according to its inventory.
A staff member reports a documented count.
What to notice
The inventory backs up the number, so it is a literal count, not an exaggeration.
Her advice was a handrail during a difficult week.
Someone describes practical support.
What to notice
This metaphor gives an image of support, but nothing is overstated, so it is not hyperbole.
After the marathon, Kim limps to the car and says her legs are “a little tired”.
A runner describes how she feels after a 42-kilometer race.
What to notice
This plays her tiredness down. That is understatement, the opposite of hyperbole.
“Nobody has signed up yet,” says the organizer, holding up the empty list.
An organizer checks a sign-up sheet before a quiz night.
What to notice
The list is empty, so “nobody” is literally true. Words such as “nobody” or “always” are hyperbole only when the situation shows they are overstated.