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

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

Etymology

Origin of metaphor

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

Compare meaning

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

• allegory vs. metaphor

Example Sentences

Her dress designer fashions the closest thing the film has to a metaphor for Melania herself: a gown constructed with no visible seams.

From Los Angeles Times

Mom has a different set of flying metaphors.

From Literature

There’s a metaphor about a trapped bird in her rehearsal space that doesn’t land and a weak attempt to juice tension that the label might actually prefer her dead.

From Los Angeles Times

“Icarus didn’t fly anywhere because Icarus is a metaphor!” said Christopher.

From Literature

But it’s less clear whether a poet searching for a metaphor or a composer developing a motif works by gridding constraints and digging methodically.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol