Phrase guide

tempest in a teapot

noun · 1 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

noun

Meaning 1

A major fuss over a trivial matter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • The media frenzy over the actor's drunken behavior was a tempest in a teapot.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Attested since 1838.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bengali: চায়ের কাপে ঝড় (caẏer kape jhoṛ) — big fuss made in a small context
  • Catalan: tempesta en un vas d'aigua — big fuss made in a small context
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小題大做 /小题大做 (xiǎotídàzuò) — big fuss made in a small context
  • Czech: bouře ve sklenici vody — big fuss made in a small context
  • Danish: storm i et glas vand — big fuss made in a small context
  • Dutch: storm in een glas water — big fuss made in a small context
  • Estonian: torm veeklaasis — big fuss made in a small context
  • Finnish: myrsky vesilasissa — big fuss made in a small context
  • French: tempête dans un verre d'eau — big fuss made in a small context
  • German: Sturm im Wasserglas — big fuss made in a small context
  • Hungarian: vihar egy pohár vízben — big fuss made in a small context
  • Icelandic: veður út af engu — big fuss made in a small context
  • Icelandic: ys og þys út af engu — big fuss made in a small context
  • Italian: tempesta in un bicchiere d'acqua — big fuss made in a small context
  • Japanese: コップの中の嵐 (koppu no naka no arashi) — big fuss made in a small context
  • Korean: 찻잔 속의 폭풍 (chatjan sogui pokpung) — big fuss made in a small context
  • Norwegian Bokmål: storm i et vannglass — big fuss made in a small context
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: storm i eit vassglas — big fuss made in a small context
  • Polish: burza w szklance wody — big fuss made in a small context
  • Portuguese: tempestade em copo d’água — big fuss made in a small context
  • Romanian: furtună într-un pahar de apă — big fuss made in a small context
  • Romanian: furtună-n pahar de apă — big fuss made in a small context
  • Slovak: búrka v pohári vody — big fuss made in a small context
  • Spanish: tormenta en un vaso de agua — big fuss made in a small context
  • Swedish: storm i ett vattenglas — big fuss made in a small context
  • Telugu: టీకప్పులో తుపాను (ṭīkappulō tupānu) — big fuss made in a small context
  • Turkish: incir çekirdeğini doldurmaz — big fuss made in a small context
  • Vietnamese: chuyện bé xé ra to — big fuss made in a small context
  • Vietnamese: cơn bão trong tách trà — big fuss made in a small context
  • Yiddish: אַ שטורעם אין אַ גלאָז וואַסער (a shturem in a gloz vaser) — big fuss made in a small context