Trivia Time

Which of the following is an example of a metaphor?

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metaphor

American  

[met-uh-fawr, -fer] / ˈmɛt əˌfɔr, -fər /

noun

1. a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”

2. something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.

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metaphor British  

/ -ˌfɔː, ˌmɛtəˈfɒrɪk, ˈmɛtəfə /

noun

1. a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance, for example he is a lion in battle Compare simile

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metaphor Cultural  

1. The comparison of one thing to another without the use of like or as: “A man is but a weak reed”; “The road was a ribbon of moonlight.” Metaphors are common in literature and expansive speech. (Compare simile.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• metaphoricalness
  noun
• metaphoric
  adjective
• metaphorical
  adjective
• metaphorically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metaphor

First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin metaphora, from Greek metaphorá “a transfer,” akin to metaphérein “to transfer”; see meta-, -phore

Compare meaning

How does metaphor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• allegory vs. metaphor

Explanation

If you brag that "the world's your oyster," you're using a metaphor from Shakespeare, who knew a thing or two about figures of speech. Good writers know their way around a metaphor, where you make an analogy between two things to show how one resembles the other in some way. When a character from Shakespeare calls the world his oyster, that's his boastful way of saying that all the riches of the world are his for the taking, like plucking a pearl from an oyster shell. Shakespeare also wrote, "All the world's a stage." Oyster? Stage? Come on, Will, get your metaphors straight!

Example Sentences

Appeared in the December 3, 2025, print edition as 'Remember When the Information Superhighway Was a Metaphor?'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

Role-playing game Metaphor: ReFantazio also won three awards, in what was a strong night for Japanese game developers.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024

I’m not an ornithologist, but my guidebook identifies it as a Common Western Metaphor.

From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2022

Metaphor example: “The pizza was a disk of saucy sunlight.”

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

The dance of qualitative research design: Metaphor, methodology, and meaning.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol