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metaphor

[ met-uh-fawr, -fer ]

/ ˈmɛt əˌfɔr, -fər /

See synonyms for: metaphor / metaphors / metaphorical / metaphoric on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.”Compare mixed metaphor, simile (def. 1).

something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.

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Origin of metaphor

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

OTHER WORDS FROM metaphor

met·a·phor·i·cal

[met-uh-fawr-i-kuhl, -for-], /ˌmɛt əˈfɔr ɪ kəl, -ˈfɒr-/, met·a·phor·ic, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH metaphor

metaphor , simile

Words nearby metaphor

metapelet, metaph., metaphase, metaphase plate, Metaphen, metaphor, metaphorical, metaphosphate, metaphosphoric acid, metaphrase, metaphrast

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for metaphor

André Kostolany, the 20th Century stock market whiz, had a great metaphor for the markets that dog owners might appreciate.
Already down 13%, Big Tech stocks have plenty more room to fall, analysts say|Bernhard Warner|September 22, 2020|Fortune
It was about persevering in the face of hardship, with contrasting harmonies and melodies acting as metaphors for life and death.
Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is a lesson in finding hope in adversity|Charlie Harding|September 11, 2020|Vox
In April 2014, President Xi Jinping used tea and beer as metaphors to underscore friendship with Belgium, during a visit to that country.
The Rise of China’s Tea Diplomacy|Pallabi Munsi|September 9, 2020|Ozy
I just think it happened to come along at exactly the moment that people were interested in that metaphor and exploring it.
What Was Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point?|Pallabi Munsi|August 11, 2020|Ozy

But, Begley says, it may be time to trade in the hard-wired metaphor for a less misleading one.
5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Ep. 334 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|January 9, 2020|Freakonomics
The scene must be a metaphor for sex, because really who does any of this?
Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’: Hell Hath No Fury Like A Tay-Tay Scorned|Sujay Kumar|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lepore has a different, though still linear, metaphor for the history of feminism: “a river, wending.”
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To wring all that can be wrung from metaphor, note what our elected and appointed officials are not dressed as.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween|P. J. O’Rourke|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kirkman does dip into metaphor here, as telephones are a symbol of our connection with one another.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Walking Dead, like the monomyth, is a metaphor for human nature and conviction of the spirit.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Vacaw's style drew freely on the vast resources of metaphor in which the English language abounds.
A Likely Story|William De Morgan
And surely it is not too strong a metaphor, to call such changes a change from an old world to a new one.
Town Geology|Charles Kingsley
This metaphor is really absurd, and has no application whatever.
The Truth about Opium|William H. Brereton
To take a metaphor from the stage—the curtain falls here on the Governor and the Prison.
The Legacy of Cain|Wilkie Collins
The metaphor is suggested by the incidents connected with the rebuilding.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Volume III|Alexander Maclaren

British Dictionary definitions for metaphor

metaphor

/ (ˈmɛtəfə, -ˌfɔː) /

noun

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 battleCompare simile

Derived forms of metaphor

metaphoric (ˌmɛtəˈfɒrɪk) or metaphorical, adjectivemetaphorically, adverbmetaphoricalness, noun

Word Origin for metaphor

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for metaphor

metaphor

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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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