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

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”; see meta-, -phore

Compare meaning

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

• allegory vs. metaphor

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

On “All Them Horses” Mr. Kahan ably channels Mr. Vernon’s falsetto howl on a song that uses a flood as a metaphor for personal transformation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Dawkins was not using “selfish” in the conventional sense of the word, but as an overextended metaphor for the lengths that DNA will go to replicate itself.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

In Langbein’s comic, but also deadly serious, imagination, this is no mere metaphor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

And to bring the metaphor to life, the Arsenal manager lit a fire at the training ground while delivering his rousing speech to his players.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

For someone like Kelsea, the black cloud is the right metaphor.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol