synecdoche

American  

[si-nek-duh-kee] / sɪˈnɛk də ki /

noun

Rhetoric.

1. a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for a rich man.

---

synecdoche British  

/ sɪnˈɛkdəkɪ, ˌsɪnɛkˈdɒkɪk /

noun

1. a figure of speech in which a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in 50 head of cattle for 50 cows, or the army for a soldier

---

Other Word Forms

• synecdochic adjective
• synecdochical adjective
• synecdochically adverb

Etymology

Origin of synecdoche

1350–1400; < Medieval Latin < Greek synekdochḗ, equivalent to syn- syn- + ekdochḗ act of receiving from another, equivalent to ek- ec- + -dochē, noun derivative of déchesthai to receive

Compare meaning

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

• metonymy vs. synecdoche

Example Sentences

But it lured two million fair visitors, and, as we see, inspired children’s toys and books, before becoming a synecdoche for Paris itself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

In Mangold’s hands, parts become wholes and the exhibition a master class in synecdoche: the tree is the forest; the painter a human representative negotiating with the natural world.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

In Darlington’s Devon neighborhood, the synecdoche for global habitat destruction is the arrival of a sign in a soon-to-be-former farm field: “Site Acquired for Development.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 6, 2023

Baseball is practically a synecdoche for summer—the season of shared, relaxing stillness in the sun.

From Slate • May 22, 2020

‘Hunger’ is put by synecdoche for hungry animals.

From Milton's Comus by Bell, William