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.

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

If you’re not following the Android blogs, you might say this is a tempest in a teapot.

From The Verge • Aug. 8, 2019

If there be any to whom the travail through which we have just come seems like a mighty tempest in a teapot, let him quit thinking so.

From The Making of an American by Riis, Jacob A. (Jacob August)

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