A simile is an expression which describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or something else. For example, the sentences 'She runs like a deer' and 'He's as white as a sheet' contain similes.
simile in British English
(ˈsɪmɪlɪ)
noun
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
Word origin
C14: from Latin simile something similar, from similis like
simile in American English
(ˈsɪməˌli)
noun
a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another, dissimilar thing by the use of like, as, etc. (Ex.: a heart as big as a whale, her tears flowed like wine)
see also metaphor
Word origin
ME < L, a likeness < neut. of similis, similar
Examples of 'simile' in a sentence
simile
He failed to find a suitable simile, and his attempt to bluster petered out.
Harcourt, Palma A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE (2001)
Just had to get the difference between a simile and a metaphor?