metaphor

American  

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

noun

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  

/ -ˌfɔː, ˌmɛtəˈfɒrɪk, ˈmɛtəfə /

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

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

Etymology

Origin of metaphor

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

Compare meaning

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

• allegory vs. metaphor

Example Sentences

As for animal metaphors, the squid has been joined by the cockroach.

From Barron's

Ward’s opera has a related theme: It is based on the 1953 Arthur Miller play that used the 17th-century Salem witch trials as a metaphor for the McCarthy era.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Godzilla movies, whether American or Japanese, are metaphors for the ravages of warmongering and the despondence of those powerless to escape its wrath.

From Salon

If a black swan is a metaphor for rare, unpredictable market events, then it’s only the energy market that is seeing black-swan style price dynamics, they say.

From MarketWatch

It’s consistently executed, balancing history and layered metaphor with sweeping cinematography and a score that contributes as much to its electrifying storytelling as Ryan Coogler’s writing and directing.

From Salon

Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol