dead metaphor

noun

Definition of dead metaphornext
as in code word

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dead metaphor The media are somewhat responsible, so apologies for beating a dead metaphor. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026 This shift reminds us that dead metaphors aren’t always terminally dead. — Rob Nixon, Smithsonian, 23 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead metaphor
  1. code word
  2. euphemism
  3. analogy
  4. metaphor
  5. simile
Noun
  • According to the Daily Mail, Baldoni and Swift actually communicated after the end of his dispute with Lively, and the two now share a code word when talking about the issue.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 July 2026
  • If someone claims there is an accident, arrest, hospital bill or urgent money problem, the code word gives your family a fast way to know whether the call is real.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of code word
Noun
  • Tshabalala’s bluntness about the economic cost is the rare honest signal here; business will not be pacified by euphemisms.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 10 July 2026
  • The Execution Crisis Defined Rasmus Holst, CEO of Zensai, describes it without euphemism.
    — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Definition of euphemism
Noun
  • The one case of revitalization that comes anywhere close to the Yellowstone analogy is Hebrew.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • And, if not, put this analogy down to some hot summer fever dreams.
    — Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of analogy
Noun
  • Aristotle was the first to systematically study the power of metaphor as a rhetorical device.
    — Richard Yanowitch, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
  • But The Devil’s Mouth is also a layered, and sometimes heavy-handed, metaphor about the importance of not letting someone make choices for you.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of metaphor
Noun
  • An image may resonate with deeper meanings (that’s what great directors can bring about), but the compression and displacement that make the simile devastating on the page have no cinematic equivalent.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 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
Definition of simile

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dead metaphor
dead metaphors
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Cite this Entry

“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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