a word or phrase used to refer to something else that it is closely related to. For example, ‘Washington’ is often used as a metonym for the US government.
Synonyms and related words
Types of word
antonym
argot
back formation
metonym
noun countable linguistics
US /ˈmetənɪm/
Word Forms
singular
metonym
plural
metonyms
DEFINITIONS1
1
a word or phrase used to refer to something else that it is closely related to. For example, “Washington” is often used as a metonym for the U.S. government.