Hyperbole definition

hī-pûrbə-lē

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.

noun

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

noun

(uncountable) Deliberate exaggeration.

noun

The definition of hyperbole is a description that is exaggerated for emphasis.

An example of hyperbole is saying you are so hungry you could eat a horse.

noun

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

noun

(countable) An instance or example of this technique.

noun

Other Word Forms

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