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• Much Ado About Nothing
  Much Ado About Nothing

  noun

  a comedy (1598?) by Shakespeare.
• much ado about nothing
  much ado about nothing

  A big fuss over a trifle, as in Jerry had everyone running around looking for his gloves—much ado about nothing. Although this expression is best remembered as the title of Shakespeare's comedy, the phrase much ado was already being used for a big commotion or trouble in the early 1500s.

Much Ado About Nothing

American  

noun

1. a comedy (1598?) by Shakespeare.

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much ado about nothing Idioms  

1. A big fuss over a trifle, as in Jerry had everyone running around looking for his gloves—much ado about nothing. Although this expression is best remembered as the title of Shakespeare's comedy, the phrase much ado was already being used for a big commotion or trouble in the early 1500s.

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Example Sentences

So this new crop of concerns might turn out to be much ado about nothing.

From Barron's • Dec. 4, 2025

For U.S. shoppers hoping for relief, however, it’s looking like much ado about nothing.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 24, 2025

Former England international John Barnes described the controversy about the colours on the St George's Cross as "much ado about nothing".

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2024

This history made all the fighting about exceptions in some conservative seem to be much ado about nothing.

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2023

For instance, Raoul’s much ado about nothing comes by way of his father, a failed Shakespearean actor who gave up the dream and started a theater camp for underprivileged children.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman