Blow out of proportion Meaning in English

expression

US

BLOH-owt-uhv-pruh-POR-shun

UK

blOH-owt-ov-pruh-PAW-shun

Definition

To treat a problem, issue, or event as much more serious or important than it really is.

Usage & Nuances

Colloquial and often used to criticize someone's reaction. Common collocations: 'completely blow out of proportion', 'tend to blow things out of proportion'. Similar to 'make a mountain out of a molehill'. Often used in negative contexts.

• Spanish: exagerar - hacer una montaña de un grano de arena
• Portuguese (BR): exagerar - fazer uma tempestade em copo d'água
• Portuguese (PT): exagerar - fazer uma tempestade num copo de água
• Chinese (Simplified): 夸大其词 - 小题大做
• Chinese (Traditional): 誇大其詞 - 小題大做
• Hindi: बात का बतंगड़ बनाना - जरूरत से ज़्यादा बढ़ा-चढ़ाकर पेश करना
• Arabic: يُضخِّم الأمر - يجعل من الحبة قبة
• Bengali: অতিরঞ্জিত করা - ব্যাপারটিকে উৎকট করে তোলা
• Russian: преувеличивать - раздувать из мухи слона
• Japanese: 大げさにする - 必要以上に誇張する
• Vietnamese: làm quá lên - thổi phồng vấn đề
• Korean: 과장하다 - 일을 지나치게 크게 만들다
• Turkish: abartmak - olduğundan büyük göstermek
• Urdu: بات کو ضرورت سے زیادہ بڑھا چڑھا کر پیش کرنا
• Indonesian: membesar-besarkan - membuat masalah jadi berlebihan

Example Sentences

Don't blow out of proportion what happened at the meeting.

basic

Sometimes people blow out of proportion a small mistake.

basic

You shouldn't blow out of proportion my words.

basic

The media totally blew the story out of proportion.

natural

He always blows things out of proportion when he's stressed.

natural

Try not to blow this out of proportion—it's actually a minor issue.

natural