noun

metaphor

/ˈmetəfər/ · say it: MET·uh·fer

describing one thing as another to suggest likeness

In more detail

1. (noun) a way of describing something by saying it is something else, without using "like" or "as", to show how they are similar

2. (noun) a word or phrase used in this way

Examples

1. In the metaphor "life is a journey," we compare life to a journey to explain how we move through different stages.
2. "A heart of stone" is a metaphor that describes someone as cold and unkind.

How to use metaphor

A metaphor is a rhetorical device that works by direct comparison ("time is money") rather than simile which uses "like" or "as" ("time moves like a river"). Metaphors appear in literary and everyday speech, often unconsciously. They are central to poetry, rhetoric, and conceptual thinking, making abstract ideas concrete.

Common phrases

mixed metaphor
extend a metaphor
metaphor for something
powerful metaphor
apt metaphor
dead metaphor

Synonyms

figure of speech · comparison · analogy · image · trope

Word family

metaphorical (adjective) · metaphorically (adverb) · metaphorize (verb)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse metaphor with simile, forgetting that metaphors do not use comparative words like "like" or "as."

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