metaphor
Americannoun
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Derived Forms
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Nouns
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
Compare meaning
How does metaphor compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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!
Vocabulary lists containing metaphor
Some Helpful Poetry Terms
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We believed that the defining metaphor of the new era would be the fall of the Berlin Wall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
She said the cartwheel becomes a metaphor throughout the show.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
I also am not losing any sleep over Pirro’s employment status, and I’ve always believed that the pool story is—as my colleague Christina Cauterucci explained—useful more as a metaphor than as a policy issue.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
That is the last we see or hear of that dirty business, which might as well be a visual metaphor for this docuseries’ shortcomings.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
The religious overtones in Morton’s metaphor are well placed.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
"Game changer" is the i Paper's verdict as "Europe tackles Infantino" – continuing with the football metaphors.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Who can’t learn from the life lessons soccer offers — and I’m not talking about the obvious geopolitical metaphors?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
As horror metaphors go, this malediction is one we know all too well.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
Today there are more than 800–roughly the population of Tapanuli orangutans or wild Bactrian camels, but it’s too late to change metaphors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
“Do you always speak in metaphors, Mister Brekker?”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
