Pronunciation guide
How to pronounce hyperbole
hy-PUR-buh-lee - four syllables, stress on 'PUR', ending in '-lee'
US/haɪˈpɝbəli/
haɪpɝbəli
UK/haɪˈpɜːbəli/
haɪpɜːbəli
New to IPA symbols? Read the IPA guide.
Common mistake
Not 'HY-per-bowl'; it is four syllables ending in '-lee', like 'epitome'.
What “hyperbole” means
Deliberate or unintentional overstatement, particularly extreme overstatement.
An instance or example of such overstatement.
In a sentence
- Her claim that she could eat a whole cake in one sitting was hyperbole.
- The novel is filled with colorful hyperbole.
Definitions and examples are derived from Wiktionary, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, then edited by QuickPronounce. Pronunciation data draws on CMUdict.