simile
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.
Origin of simile
1Words that may be confused with simile
- metaphor, simile
Words Nearby simile
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use simile in a sentence
It called for him to write a poem using a simile or metaphor.
A former cop created a program to help Baltimore kids. Now, she’s hoping to give them more: a permanent safe haven. | Theresa Vargas | August 25, 2021 | Washington PostHe surprises readers with similes that are sobering, in the middle of laughter.
Author recalls beatings, discrimination in memoir | Terri Schlichenmeyer | June 3, 2021 | Washington BladeThe matron expressed her entire concurrence in this intelligible simile, and the beadle went on.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3) | Charles DickensThe modern simile is that of a donkey between two bundles of hay.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerNo one can say to himself, “I will now make a good simile,” and straightway fulfill his promise.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
A simile is an expressed comparison between unlike things that have some common quality.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) WebsterHere the simile seems to be as unlike as possible, for the lot could fall only upon one.
British Dictionary definitions for simile
/ (ˈsɪmɪlɪ) /
a figure of speech that expresses the resemblance of one thing to another of a different category, usually introduced by as or like: Compare metaphor
Origin of simile
1Collins 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
[ (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
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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