Hyperbole Definition

hī-pûrbə-lē

noun

A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton.

American Heritage

Exaggeration for effect and not meant to be taken literally (Ex: He's as strong as an ox.)

Webster's New World

(uncountable) Extreme exaggeration or overstatement; especially as a literary or rhetorical device.

Wiktionary

(uncountable) Deliberate exaggeration.

Wiktionary

(countable) An instance or example of this technique.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Other Word Forms of Hyperbole

Singular:

hyperbole

Plural:

hyperboles

Latin hyperbolē from Greek huperbolē excess from huperballein to exceed huper beyond hyper– ballein to throw gwelə- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Latin hyperbolē, from Ancient Greek ὑπερβολή (huperbolē, “excess, exaggeration”), from ὑπέρ (huper, “above”) + βάλλω (ballō, “I throw”).

From Wiktionary