tempest in a teapot

Idioms

Also, tempest in a teacup. A great disturbance or uproar over a matter of little or no importance. For example, All that because a handful of the thousand invited guests didn't show up? What a tempest in a teapot! This expression has appeared in slightly different forms for more than 300 years. Among the variations are storm in a cream bowl, tempest in a glass of water, and storm in a hand-wash basin. The British prefer storm in a teacup. The current American forms were first recorded in 1854. For a synonym, see much ado about nothing.

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.

tempest in a teapot

Is it just another tempest in a teapot?

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2024

The whole thing is a tempest in a teapot.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2023

“This is a tempest in a teapot and another cheap shot at these people because of who they work for.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 5, 2022

“This might be a tempest in a teapot, or it might cause lasting damage.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2019

Now that this tempest in a teapot is over, you can all go off and finish your games.

From Killykinick by Mary T. (Mary Theresa) Waggaman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023