molehill

[mohl-hil]

See more synonyms for molehill on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small mound or ridge of earth raised up by a mole or moles burrowing under the ground.

Idioms

make a mountain out of a molehill, to exaggerate a minor difficulty.

Origin of molehill

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at mole¹, hill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for molehill

Contemporary Examples

In both cases, the minority party on both committees thinks the majority is making a mountain out of a molehill.
From Waterboarding to Benghazi, CIA Faces Two-Front War by Congress
Eli Lake
April 4, 2014
But is this merely a case of making a mountain out of a molehill—or is there a legitimate reason to be upset?
The Uproar Over No Doubt’s Native American Video Gaffe
Tricia Romano
November 6, 2012
Few diplomatic events are more embarrassing than a summit that turns into a molehill.
The War Over the Global Stimulus
Stryker McGuire
March 13, 2009

Historical Examples

That is often a mountain to one which is only a molehill to another.
Out in the Forty-Five
Emily Sarah Holt
I was a little nettled at having been scared for a molehill.
The Celebrity, Complete
Winston Churchill
The newspapers got hold of it and are making a mountain out of a molehill.
Baseball Joe on the Giants
Lester Chadwick
He saw now, or thought he saw, that he had been making a mountain out of a molehill.
Beatrice
H. Rider Haggard
I soon found my pride was a molehill and my love a mountain.
Hard Cash
Charles Reade

British Dictionary definitions for molehill

molehill

noun

the small mound of earth thrown up by a burrowing mole
make a mountain out of a molehill to exaggerate an unimportant matter out of all proportion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for molehill

n.

also mole-hill, mid-15c., from mole (2) + hill (n.).

To much amplifying thinges yt. be but small, makyng mountaines of Molehils. [John Foxe, "Acts and Monuments," 1570]

Idioms and Phrases with molehill

molehill

see make a mountain out of a molehill.

molehill

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}molehill

Examples from the Web for molehill

Contemporary Examples

In both cases, the minority party on both committees thinks the majority is making a mountain out of a molehill.

But is this merely a case of making a mountain out of a molehill—or is there a legitimate reason to be upset?

Few diplomatic events are more embarrassing than a summit that turns into a molehill.

Historical Examples

That is often a mountain to one which is only a molehill to another.

I was a little nettled at having been scared for a molehill.

The newspapers got hold of it and are making a mountain out of a molehill.

He saw now, or thought he saw, that he had been making a mountain out of a molehill.

I soon found my pride was a molehill and my love a mountain.

molehill

Word Origin and History for molehill

n.

Idioms and Phrases with molehill

molehill

Origin of molehill