a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”Compare mixed metaphor, simile (def. 1).
something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol.
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Origin of metaphor
1525–35; <Latin metaphora<Greek metaphorá a transfer, akin to metaphérein to transfer. See meta-, -phore
The scene must be a metaphor for sex, because really who does any of this?
Taylor Swift’s ‘Blank Space’: Hell Hath No Fury Like A Tay-Tay Scorned|Sujay Kumar|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Lepore has a different, though still linear, metaphor for the history of feminism: “a river, wending.”
Wonder Woman’s Creation Story Is Wilder Than You Could Ever Imagine|Tom Arnold-Forster|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To wring all that can be wrung from metaphor, note what our elected and appointed officials are not dressed as.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween|P. J. O’Rourke|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kirkman does dip into metaphor here, as telephones are a symbol of our connection with one another.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Walking Dead, like the monomyth, is a metaphor for human nature and conviction of the spirit.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero|Regina Lizik|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Vacaw's style drew freely on the vast resources of metaphor in which the English language abounds.
A Likely Story|William De Morgan
And surely it is not too strong a metaphor, to call such changes a change from an old world to a new one.
Town Geology|Charles Kingsley
This metaphor is really absurd, and has no application whatever.
The Truth about Opium|William H. Brereton
To take a metaphor from the stage—the curtain falls here on the Governor and the Prison.
The Legacy of Cain|Wilkie Collins
The metaphor is suggested by the incidents connected with the rebuilding.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Volume III|Alexander Maclaren
British Dictionary definitions for metaphor
metaphor
/ (ˈmɛtəfə, -ˌfɔː) /
noun
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action that it does not literally denote in order to imply a resemblance, for example he is a lion in battleCompare simile
This Or That: Simile vs. MetaphorSimile vs. metaphor ... it’s the age-old question that none of us can keep straight. So, let’s try looking at it a different way ...
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13 Essential Literary TermsAristotle wrote that mastery over the art of metaphor is a sign of genius. It also lifts our storytelling to new heights, as do all of these literary devices.
The comparison of one thing to another without the use of like or as: “A man is but a weak reed”; “The road was a ribbon of moonlight.” Metaphors are common in literature and expansive speech. (Compare simile.)