federal case

NOUN

minor problem made into a major issue

Synonyms

WEAK

big deal much ado about nothing storm in a teacup

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That can happen in civil litigation: Sometimes you have a private agreement, where both sides agree that they want to get rid of the case before they make a federal case out of it.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

Lawyers for the school districts in the federal case said in a statement, “Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Each has also pleaded guilty in the federal case.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

She said she had not been contacted by federal authorities about the federal case.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

But what hope had the West Computers of making a federal case out of something so banal as a cafeteria sign?

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly