Hyperbole Examples

Hyperbole is a figurative language technique where exaggeration is used to create a strong effect.  With hyperbole, the notion of the speaker is greatly exaggerated to emphasize the point.  The word hyperbole is actually composed of two root words: hyper which means “over,” and bole which means “to throw.”  So, etymologically, hyperbole translates roughly to “over throw” or “to throw over.”  True to its origins, hyperbole overstates a point or goes a bit too far.

Hyperbole
Exaggeration for effect

 Here are fifty examples of hyperbole:

  1. Charlie gazed hopelessly at the endless pile of bills stretching across the counter.
  2. That woman has no self-control.
  3. That was the easiest question in the world.
  4. Nothing can bother him.
  5. I can smell pizza from a mile away.
  6. I went home and made the biggest sandwich of all time.
  7. My dad is always working.
  8. Patty drank from a bottomless glass of Kool-Aid.
  9. Allie has a million pairs of shoes in her closet.
  10. Old Mr. Johnson has been teaching here since the Stone Age.
  11. Forget knocking it out of the park, Frank can knock a baseball off the continent.
  12. The lesson was taking forever.
  13. I’ve seen this movie at least 80,000 times.
  14. Vanessa never has anything interesting to say.
  15. These shoes are killing me.
  16. Shauna does everything for him.
  17. Christmas will never come.
  18. He walked down the road to nowhere.
  19. I’d rather French kiss a rattlesnake than miss a gym period.
  20. My dad knows everything about cars.
  21. Max is the fastest thing on two feet.
  22. Basketball is the only thing that ever mattered to him.
  23. Nothing can stop these guys.
  24. My mom is going to kill me.
  25. She can have any boy that she wants.
  26. Nobody can beat level six.
  27. You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Rita.
  28. The sight of them kissing is so gross that it makes me want to puke.
  29. We’ll be best friends forever.
  30. Now there is no star that is not perfumed with my fragrance.
  31. I will never say “never.”
  32. Chris won’t drive her home because she lives on the other side of the universe.
  33. The only thing that he ever wants to do is play that game.
  34. Once I get you in my arms, I’m never going to let you go.
  35. John always knows the right thing to say.
  36. Phoebe would be content anywhere.
  37. Nothing could ever go wrong with his plan.
  38. Pam was skinny enough to jump through a keyhole.
  39. Jasmine never forgets anything.
  40. Everyone knows that.
  41. Go to the park?  That’s the best idea ever.
  42. I’d move mountains for her.
  43. Tanya never stops talking.
  44. I can’t do anything right.
  45. Janet worked her fingers to the bone.
  46. Jack was thirsty enough to drink a river dry.
  47. She is perfect in everyway.
  48. Your dad is the smartest guy in the world.
  49. We tried everything that we could.
  50. I could listen to that song on repeat forever.

 

 

Common Core State Standards Related to Hyperbole

Anchor Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 – Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

View All CCSS Standards Related to Hyperbole
ELA Standards: Literature

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

ELA Standards: Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a – Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a – Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.

View Source
Common Core Lesson and Unit Plans
Understanding Common Core State Standards

 

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57 Comments

  1. Tia

     /  March 18, 2019

    Please help!
    I have to type a one-page report containing two paragraphs answering the following questions:
    *The figurative Saying (I chose hyperbole)
    *A picture describing the saying
    *The figurative meaning of the saying
    *The literal meaning of the saying
    Text-to-self connection
    Text-to-text connection
    Text-to-world connection

    Reply
  2. jabaloo

     /  May 11, 2018

    give me examples of metaphors nowwwwwww

    Reply
  3. MAJM

     /  December 3, 2017

    Is “I measure the distance in terms of multiple whales” an example of hyperbole?

    Reply
  4. Jas.K

     /  August 12, 2017

    Can you please give me an example of a hyperbole for either heavy loads or hard work about e-waste and e-waste scraps.

    Reply
  5. Jhade

     /  June 10, 2017

    Mr. Morton, will you please tell me if this sentence is a metaphor or a personification?
    1. Truly he has a heart of gold.

    Reply
  6. Biki

     /  May 30, 2017

    What are examples of ironical sentences?

    Reply
  7. nathan.nguyen

     /  March 20, 2017

    this helps lots of people learn if i could grade websites ive give this a a+

    Reply
  8. Christopher L Simons

     /  March 20, 2017

    To know me is to love me.

    It was the worst disaster ever. Probably not Hyperbole.

    But this is: I was the worst disaster for all time. At least I think it is.

    Reply
  9. Mustache

     /  March 10, 2017

    Some were not hyperbole examples like “I’d rather French kiss a rattlesnake than miss a gym period”, and “The sight of them kissing is so gross that it makes me want to puke”, I am so good at finding mistakes.

    Reply
  10. charlie anderton

     /  January 31, 2017

    interesting, really, REALY interesting.

    Reply
  11. Anu

     /  December 22, 2016

    Is my mother is always working a hyperbole?

    Reply
    • Yes, because that exaggerates how often she works. Obviously, she must sleep sometimes as well as do other things.

      Reply
  12. Mackie

     /  December 6, 2016

    Thank You 🙂 It helps me a lot

    Reply
  13. Mrs. Groff

     /  November 23, 2016

    Is this where we get the word “hype”?

    Reply
  14. Jayden Johnson

     /  January 7, 2016

    THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH SUCH A GREAT WEB SITE

    Reply
  15. waxy

     /  November 9, 2015

    This lesson of hyperbole out of comparison.
    It’s really helping we students thank you for your great work.

    Reply
  16. d.

     /  October 15, 2015

    I really found this website useful for when I didn’t understand a hyperbole and was studying for a test

    Reply
  17. ShreyWhatsTheMatter

     /  September 26, 2015

    This really helped my studies thank you so much…

    Reply
  18. avalanchelover152

     /  May 26, 2015

    YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO HELPFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  19. Breakfast15

     /  March 16, 2015

    OMG soooo helpful

    Reply
  20. MoneyMan

     /  February 27, 2015

    This IS THE MOST USEFUL WEBSITE EVER!

    Reply
  21. Raquel

     /  February 17, 2015

    Wow, I have enough til forever!

    Reply
  22. fluffyunicornlover#9

     /  January 14, 2015

    This food is out of this world!

    Reply
  23. fluffyunicornlover#9

     /  January 14, 2015

    You wouldn’t ever be as good as me in 1,000,000,000 years!

    Reply
  24. I notice an increase in my leanings towards hyperbole when I began facebook messenger a year ago. Seems as if I am writing to myself when writing to a person that I have not seen for years…careless writing…Now I will pay more attention…

    Reply
    • In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with hyperbole. In fact, it can be used to great effect. Perhaps overusing it is problematic…

      Reply
  25. halle

     /  April 2, 2014

    helpful i love these hyperboles

    Reply
  26. Anna hudson

     /  March 11, 2014

    This is a great site that kids could find info for a a web quest, Like the one we are doing right now.

    Reply
  27. This is the best website on earth it has such good hyperboles and they are really funny they crack me up every time I read it

    Reply
  28. Angel

     /  February 14, 2014

    Thank you so much these were so helpful

    Reply
  29. Cris

     /  January 26, 2014

    Thank you very much, I needed to find an easy and simple way to explain figurative language to my students, you helped me a lot.
    Thanks from México!!

    Reply
  30. Clue Giver

     /  January 7, 2014

    Your list went on forever!

    Reply
  31. This really helped me out a lot I looked for the definition and example everywhere like 10000 times you really rock I have a poetry project due tomarrow.

    Reply
  32. this is amazing i really love it thanks so much

    Reply
  33. Cat

     /  November 28, 2012

    The man was wearing pants 67 sizes too big.

    Reply
  34. Raji Quadri

     /  November 11, 2012

    now i got the full gist of hyperbole…

    Reply
  35. awesome person

     /  October 21, 2012

    i dont get this but i think by reding the list makes sence

    Reply
  36. ding san yung

     /  May 14, 2012

    some aren’t even hyperbole

    Reply
  37. Shibaani Shalji

     /  January 31, 2012

    ThankQ SOOO MUCCHH! Verryy informative 😀

    Reply
  1. Figurative Language | mrs. yates class
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