simile
[ sim-uh-lee ]
/ ˈsɪm ə li /
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noun
a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”Compare metaphor.
an instance of such a figure of speech or a use of words exemplifying it.
VIDEO FOR SIMILE
WATCH NOW: This Or That: Simile vs. Metaphor
Simile vs. metaphor ... it’s the age-old question that none of us can keep straight. So, let’s try looking at it a different way ...
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
Origin of simile
1350–1400; Middle English <Latin: image, likeness, comparison, noun use of neuter of similissimilar
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH simile
metaphor, simileWords nearby simile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for simile
British Dictionary definitions for simile
simile
/ (ˈsɪmɪlɪ) /
noun
a figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another of a different category, usually introduced by as or likeCompare metaphor
Word Origin for simile
C14: from Latin simile something similar, from similis like
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 simile
simile
[ (sim-uh-lee) ]
A common figure of speech that explicitly compares two things usually considered different. Most similes are introduced by like or as: “The realization hit me like a bucket of cold water.” (Compare metaphor.)
notes for simile
Some similes, such as “sleeping like a log,” have become clichés.
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.