simile

American  

[sim-uh-lee] / ˈsɪm ə li /

noun

1. a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a rose.”

2. an instance of such a figure of speech or a use of words exemplifying it.

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simile British  

/ ˈsɪmɪlɪ /

noun

1. 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

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simile Cultural  

1. 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.)

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Usage

What is a simile? A simile is a figure of speech in which two unrelated things are compared to each other, as in Jose was as clever as a fox. Similes compare two things that seemingly have nothing to do with each other but actually share a trait or characteristic, at least according to the user of the simile. In the simile above, Jose is implied to be wily or sly just like a fox that steals chickens from farmers. Similes often use like or as in the comparison, as in Tom’s insults cut like a knife.A simile is very similar to a metaphor, another figure of speech. A metaphor also compares two seemingly unrelated things but, unlike a simile, a metaphor says that something is something else. Often, the difference between a metaphor and simile is a single word. Her life was like an open book is a simile, while Her life was an open book is a metaphor.Similes and metaphors can be used to accomplish the same thing, and it is ultimately up to the writer or speaker which one they’d prefer to use.

Discover More

Some similes, such as “sleeping like a log,” have become clichés.

Etymology

Origin of simile

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin: “image, likeness, comparison,” noun use of neuter of similis similar

Example Sentences

The simile is arresting: modern European proponents of welfare-state liberalism likened to a dying class of 19th-century hereditary nobles, confident in their rightness and desperate to rest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

I love that simile because she did refer to her wardrobe as an “impenetrable fortress.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2025

He once used an unexpectedly shocking simile to denounce what he termed "hypocritical clericalism".

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025

“The simile with the DNA is more a metaphor but in some way, there exists the connection as mentioned for solving paths.”

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2024

But soon they found an explanation, which he illustrates with a looser simile: We’re all used to gravity being a force that does only one thing: pull objects toward each other.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker