steal your thunder
/ˌstiːl jə ˈθʌndə/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
to take the attention or praise that someone else expected
Examples
- 1I planned to share my exam results at dinner, but my sister stole my thunder with her own news.
- 2Don't show the new logo before Priya's presentation, or you'll steal her thunder.
- 3Leo had worked on his garden for months, so he was upset when his neighbour stole his thunder at the flower show.
- 4Would I be stealing your thunder if I told everyone about your promotion first?
- 5The support band was so brilliant that they completely stole Maya's thunder at her album launch.
Grammar
steal is irregular: stole, stolen. your changes to my, her, Tom's and so on: the possessive names the person who loses the attention.
Similar in meaning
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English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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