Trivia Time

Which of the following is an example of a metaphor?

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metaphor

American  

[met-uh-fawr, -fer] / ˈmɛt əˌfɔr, -fər /

noun

• metaphors
  plural

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  

/ ˈmɛtəfə, -ˌfɔː /

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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• metaphors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of metaphor

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

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Compare meaning

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

• allegory vs. metaphor

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Explanation

If you brag that "the world's your oyster," you're using a metaphor from Shakespeare, who knew a thing or two about figures of speech. Good writers know their way around a metaphor, where you make an analogy between two things to show how one resembles the other in some way. When a character from Shakespeare calls the world his oyster, that's his boastful way of saying that all the riches of the world are his for the taking, like plucking a pearl from an oyster shell. Shakespeare also wrote, "All the world's a stage." Oyster? Stage? Come on, Will, get your metaphors straight!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metaphor metaphors

In “Beowulf” and other works, these wetlands have also offered a useful literary metaphor as keepers of cultural memory and symbols of repressed terrors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

That title is something of a metaphor, about connecting to a deep, abiding spirituality accessible to us all.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

The house was a metaphor for the coldness of a relationship that’s faded and atrophied.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

How did you land on Andy Warhol as a celebrity figure and metaphor to use in telling this story about Kai and Juniper?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Although she had been raised on Bible verses, she now spoke of God mostly in metaphor: “Spring spells God, and God is Love.”

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

There are metaphors, and there are metaphors, but this one is just too on the nose.

From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026

He describes the scene in similes and metaphors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

And I wasn’t entirely thrilled with “Backrooms” getting lost in the maze of its metaphors, either.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

Being the kind of person who adorns themselves compulsively opens you up to a slew of corny metaphors that, against your will, feel deeply relevant to you.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Each voice has a unique tone color that is described using adjectives or metaphors such as “nasally,” “resonant,” “vibrant,” “strident,” “high,” “low,” “breathy,” “piercing,” “ringing,” “rounded,” “warm,” “mellow,” “dark,” “bright,” “heavy,” “light,” “vibrato.”

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol

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