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
  • Some couples and families even choose a code word that means the conversation is pausing, Wilson says—not that the relationship is disappearing.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of code word
Noun
  • Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This is nothing more than a euphemism for encouraging less citizen input and involvement in determining city policies and spending priorities.
    — Joseph Landers, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of euphemism
Noun
  • The following rise of the digital computer supplied another powerful analogy.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Heading into training camp, Jim Harbaugh made the analogy of the Chargers ramping up like an airplane.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of analogy
Noun
  • Ambiguity, subtext, double meanings, and metaphor course through all of them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Ballmer once bragged about how many toilets are in the Intuit Dome, and that feels like a metaphor for the state of his Clippers.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of metaphor
Noun
  • Isla’s mother, Chloe Howell, said the tween loves to crack jokes at home and came up with the funny simile herself.
    — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of simile

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dead metaphor
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Cite this Entry

“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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