figures of speech

• plural

  plural

  The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

  of figure of speech.
  figure of speech

  noun

  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.

Example Sentences

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figures of speech

Enter artificial intelligence, which can flag clichés by analyzing the frequency at which figures of speech occur in data sets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

“His prose is poetic, sensuous, imaginative, adorned with fanciful figures of speech and surprising twists of language.”

From Washington Post ● Jun. 20, 2022

“My Monster Moofy,” written by Annie Watson, with fanciful pictures by Eric Zelz, attempts to teach figures of speech through descriptions of a nondescript cat, Moofy.

From New York Times ● Sep. 24, 2021

He knows people see his gigantic mustache, hear his cornpone accent and predilection for bombarding everyone with folksy figures of speech, and underestimate him.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2021

Their figures of speech were as forceful and colorful as any ever used by English-speaking people.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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