as in analogy
an elaborate or fanciful way of expressing something
"it's raining cats and dogs" is just a colorful metaphor and not a meteorological announcement
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Recent Examples of metaphor
Bad Gyal describes her new album, Más Cara, as a metaphor for the evolution of her career after 10 years dedicating herself to music and her rise from a very underground artist.
—
Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
That really informed the story so much more than any other job, in terms of opening up the metaphors of film projection and damage inspection reports and how that might inform how Birdie kind of lives and thinks.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
In the case of the enduring hostility between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States over the past 47 years, even this metaphor may be an understatement.
—Mehrzad Boroujerdi, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
Salazar-Thompson’s witty script — packed with hilarious metaphors and similes (like comparing a woman’s firm grip on her purse to that of a two-toed sloth on a branch) — make for a consistently amusing trip back in time.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 12 Mar. 2026
That really informed the story so much more than any other job, in terms of opening up the metaphors of film projection and damage inspection reports and how that might inform how Birdie kind of lives and thinks.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
In the case of the enduring hostility between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States over the past 47 years, even this metaphor may be an understatement.
—Mehrzad Boroujerdi, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2026
Salazar-Thompson’s witty script — packed with hilarious metaphors and similes (like comparing a woman’s firm grip on her purse to that of a two-toed sloth on a branch) — make for a consistently amusing trip back in time.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphor
analogy
Noun
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Jordan used an analogy to make the case that high-intensity fire is not uniform.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Some found the whole Jolene analogy more misleading than useful.—
Marie-Rose Sheinerman,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Cite this Entry
“Metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metaphor. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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