Phrase guide

nothing to see here

phrase · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

phrase

Meaning 1

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see nothing, to, see, here.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • This town is very unattractive to tourists, since there's nothing to see here.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

phrase

Meaning 2

The event or situation is unremarkable or unimportant, and people should not pay undue attention to it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • After the press conference about the financial scandal, the spokesperson reassured the public that there was nothing to see here.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

phrase

Meaning 3

A phrase used to dismiss or downplay an event, frequently implying that there is, in fact, something significant being hidden or covered up.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, ironic, often, sarcastic

Examples

  • The politician's vague response to corruption allegations was essentially a nothing-to-see-here moment.
  • A factory discharged waste into the river, but officials insisted it posed no danger. There was a sentiment of "nothing to see here".

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Derived from the police directive "Nothing to see here, move along," historically used to clear bystanders from crime or accident scenes. The phrase gained widespread recognition after its comedic use in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), where Frank Drebin (played by Leslie Nielsen) tries to defuse a chaotic scene by stating, "Move along! Nothing to see here!"