We use hyperbole/haɪˈpɜ:bəlɪ/to exaggerate. We sometimes do this to emphasise something, to add humour or to gain attention. When we use hyperbole, we often make statements which areobviously untrue:
We drove for hours without stopping and I nearlydied ofhunger.
[two students talking about a university town]
I have lived in Nottingham since I came here to study at the university. Been here for abouta thousandyears.
We often use hyperbole to stress a particular feature such as amount, size, shape and movement:
I’ve gottonsof homework to do.
You have to wait forhoursin that bank.
Every car in America isat least ten timesthe size of ones in Europe.
[A talks about unexpectedly discovering a special Sunday sale at a department store. The department store is called Woolworth’s.]
A:There weremillionsof people in Woolworth’s.
B:Really? On a Sunday!!
There weremillionsof people in town on Saturday.