nothingburger
Americannoun
-
an often highly publicized event or situation that is said to have less impact or significance than expected.
The meeting of world leaders turned out to be a big nothingburger.
-
a person of little or no importance; a nothing; a nobody.
She's a minor celebrity—a nothingburger.
Etymology
Origin of nothingburger
First recorded in 1950–55; nothing ( def. ) + burger ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Still, it might be tempting to dismiss the whole thing as a goofy internet nothingburger.
From Slate • Aug. 31, 2025
“This was a nothingburger you will forget,” he said of that debate.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 29, 2023
But Sensity AI only found 35 images of politicians, and 2020’s election-deepfake scare turned into a nothingburger.
From Salon • Nov. 21, 2023
“I anticipate this will be a nothingburger with a side of nothing,” he said.
From Washington Times • May 19, 2022
And although the show fulfills its obligation to be breezy and fun, mainly as a teen-centric piece of fluff, never does it ever stretch to become anything more than another Netflix nothingburger.
From Washington Post • Apr. 26, 2020
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
