figure of speech

American  

[fig-yer uhv speech] / ˈfɪg yər əv ˈspitʃ /

noun

Rhetoric.

figures of speech plural

1. any expressive use of language, as a metaphor, simile, personification, or antithesis, in which words are used in other than their literal sense, or in other than their ordinary locutions, in order to suggest a picture or image or for other special effect.

---

figure of speech British  

noun

1. an expression of language, such as simile, metaphor, or personification, by which the usual or literal meaning of a word is not employed

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• figures of speech
  plural

Etymology

Origin of figure of speech

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

That’s not a figure of speech but a literal description of the situation Neglia inherited.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2024

Which word means a figure of speech that involves exaggeration for emphasis or effect?

From Slate • Nov. 20, 2023

The term “deafening silence” is even a common figure of speech.

From Scientific American • Jul. 10, 2023

But the figure of speech she used features prominently throughout.

From Washington Post • Mar. 14, 2023

For them, “going home” is more a figure of speech than a realistic option.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander