Hyperbole

We use hyperbole /haɪˈpɜ:bəlɪ/ to exaggerate. We sometimes do this to emphasise something, to add humour or to gain attention. When we use hyperbole, we often make statements which are obviously untrue:

We drove for hours without stopping and I nearly died of hunger.

[two students talking about a university town]

I have lived in Nottingham since I came here to study at the university. Been here for about a thousand years.

We often use hyperbole to stress a particular feature such as amount, size, shape and movement:

I’ve got tons of homework to do.

You have to wait for hours in that bank.

Every car in America is at least ten times the size of ones in Europe.

[A talks about unexpectedly discovering a special Sunday sale at a department store. The department store is called Woolworth’s.]

A:
There weremillionsof people in Woolworth’s.

B:
Really? On a Sunday!!

There were millions of people in town on Saturday.

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