simile
[ sim-uh-lee ]
/ ˈsɪm ə li /
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.
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Nearby words
Origin of simile
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: image, likeness, comparison, noun use of neuter of similis similar
Can be confusedmetaphor simile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for similes
British Dictionary definitions for similes
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
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Word Origin and History for similes
simile
late 14c., from Latin simile "a like thing; a comparison, likeness, parallel," neuter of similis "like" (see similar). Both things must be mentioned and the comparison directly stated. To Johnson, "A simile, to be perfect, must both illustrate and ennoble the subject."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture definitions for similes
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.)
Note
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.