A metaphor is an imaginative way of describing something by referring to something else which is the same in a particular way. For example, if you want to say that someone is very shy and frightened of things, you might say that they are a mouse.
...the avoidance of 'violent expressions and metaphors' like 'kill two birds withone stone'.
...the writer's use of metaphor.
Synonyms: figure of speech, image, symbol, analogy More Synonyms of metaphor
2. variable noun
If one thing is a metaphorfor another, it is intended or regarded as a symbol of it.
The divided family remains a powerful metaphor for a society tearing itself apart. [+ for]
3.
See to mix your metaphors
metaphor in British English
(ˈmɛtəfə, -ˌfɔː)
noun
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it doesnot literally denote in order to imply a resemblance, for example he is a lion in battle
Compare simile
Derived forms
metaphoric (ˌmɛtəˈfɒrɪk) or metaphorical (ˌmetaˈphorical)
adjective
metaphorically (ˌmetaˈphorically)
adverb
metaphoricalness (ˌmetaˈphoricalness)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Latin, from Greek metaphora, from metapherein to transfer, from meta- + pherein to bear
metaphor in American English
(ˈmɛtəˌfɔr)
noun
a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another (Ex.: the curtain of night, “all the world's a stage”)
see also simile, mixed metaphor
Derived forms
metaphoric (ˌmetaˈphoric)
adjective or ˌmetaˈphorical
metaphorically (ˌmetaˈphorically)
adverb
Word origin
Fr métaphore < L metaphora < Gr < metapherein, to carry over < meta, over (see meta-) + pherein, to bear1
Examples of 'metaphor' in a sentence
metaphor
It stalks the mind like a scavenging metaphor; like death keeping guard of our bones.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
It was left to the experts to explain the use of metaphor in the songs.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There are times when the cake trick feels a little too like a metaphor for this book.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Allow us to mix the metaphor just a little.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
You could hardly get a more powerful visual metaphor.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Well placed metaphors can be one of the most powerful influences for change.
O'Connor, Joseph & Seymour, John Training with N.L.P. (1994)
Both knew that flowers could work as seductive metaphors for other things.
The Times Literary Supplement (2010)
He would use metaphors and tell us that we had to figure out what he meant.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Perhaps they could be metaphors for one another.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
The death of the pub is a metaphor for something much bigger and sadder in society at large.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Bear in mind that dreams work in personal symbols and metaphors; they are rarely literal.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Maybe maths and metaphors shouldn't mix.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Sport as metaphor is one thing, but sport as a lazy plotting device is quite another.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I sensed that it might be a metaphor for something, a parable.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Far more than flags and anthems, food is the metaphor and symbol of where you come from and what you might choose to die for.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Another metaphor, another phrase Caught in my throat.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
It's a good joke and a metaphor that I had not spotted before.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Doctors once assured patients who suffered brain damage to that hemisphere that theirs was a minor impediment, yet they struggled to understand jokes, metaphors or sarcasm.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Word lists with
metaphor
figure of speech
In other languages
metaphor
British English: metaphor NOUN
A metaphor is a way of describing someone or something by showing their similarity with something else. For example, the metaphor "a shining light" describes a person who is very skillful or intelligent.
She uses a lot of metaphors in her writing.
American English: metaphor
Brazilian Portuguese: metáfora
Chinese: 隐喻
European Spanish: metáfora
French: métaphore
German: Metapher
Italian: metafora
Japanese: 比喩
Korean: 은유
European Portuguese: metáfora
Latin American Spanish: metáfora
Definition of 'metaphor'
Chinese translation of 'metaphor'
metaphor
(ˈmɛtəfəʳ)
n(c/u)
隐(隱)喻 (yǐnyù)
(noun)
Definition
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally apply to in order to imply a resemblance, for example he is a lion in battle
the writer's use of metaphor
Synonyms
figure of speech
It was just a figure of speech.
image
The images in the poem illustrate the poet's frame of mind.
symbol
To them the monarchy is a special symbol of nationhood.
analogy
emblem
the emblem of the Red Cross
conceit (literary)
Critics may complain that the novel's central conceit is rather simplistic.
allegory
The book is a kind of allegory of the country's history.
trope
figurative expression
Additional synonyms
in the sense of allegory
Definition
a story, poem, or picture with an underlying meaning as well as the literal one
The book is a kind of allegory of the country's history.
Synonyms
symbol,
story,
tale,
myth,
symbolism,
emblem,
fable,
parable,
apologue
in the sense of conceit
Definition
a far-fetched or clever comparison
Critics may complain that the novel's central conceit is rather simplistic.
Synonyms
image,
idea,
concept,
metaphor,
imagery,
figure of speech,
trope
in the sense of emblem
Definition
an object or design chosen to symbolize an organization or idea
the emblem of the Red Cross
Synonyms
crest,
mark,
design,
image,
figure,
seal,
shield,
badge,
insignia,
coat of arms,
heraldic device,
sigil (rare)
Synonyms of 'metaphor'
metaphor
Explore 'metaphor' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of image
Definition
a simile or metaphor
The images in the poem illustrate the poet's frame of mind.
Synonyms
figure of speech,
metaphor,
simile,
conceit (archaic),
trope
in the sense of symbol
Definition
something that represents or stands for something else, usually an object used to represent something abstract
To them the monarchy is a special symbol of nationhood.