figure of speech

American  

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

noun

Rhetoric.

plural

figures of speech

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

---

Etymology

Origin of figure of speech

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

The name is not a figure of speech or a metaphor.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2026

In baseball parlance, that phrase is typically a figure of speech.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 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 it’s an irony of human communication that the more beautiful or lively or effective the figure of speech, the more likely it will be loved, remembered, repeated, worn out, and finally worked to death.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner