metaphor

[met-uh-fawr, -fer]

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.

metaphor

/ -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

metaphor

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.)

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of metaphor¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of metaphor¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek metaphora, from metapherein to transfer, from _meta- + pherein to bear

Example Sentences

Often those wanderers end up dying, Tom tells Robbie, who doesn’t appreciate the metaphor.

Read more on Salon

Sir Terry later described the project as a "tremendous release", and the Royal Academy called it a "pop building, through its sheer abundance of metaphor".

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The phrase is a play on the “glass ceiling,” an older metaphor that describes how structural sexism keeps women from reaching the highest levels of leadership.

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“It’s just been a long time since we last witnessed such a great illustration of the metaphor,” Shenderovich claimed at the time.

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“Well, I don’t think we want Redford to be that way. For three decades he’s been a kind of metaphor for this country and his film roles have reflected that.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• analogy 
• image 
• symbol