as in code word
Related Words
Relevance
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
Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor.
—
Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
This shift reminds us that dead metaphors aren’t always terminally dead.
—Rob Nixon, Smithsonian, 23 Mar. 2018
Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
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
Noun
-
Savannah Guthrie seemingly used a code word in a video directed toward her missing mother Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers, a former FBI agent claims.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Have a safety plan and a family code word.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Now there were no euphemisms for Germany’s leader.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Early critics have called it ‘compassionate,’ which might sound like a euphemism for treacly or didactic.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For an analogy, look back on the introduction of search engines, which led to a massive cut in the time needed to do research and get answers.—
Peter Cappelli,
Fortune,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Arteta has used the analogy that the positional grouping of injuries is like ‘buying tickets’ for more fitness problems down the line, an image that has proven to be apt across almost every area of his squad.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Applied to a police chase, the metaphor means the officers who initiated the pursuit are responsible for its results.—
Gregory Royal Pratt,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The shriek of mourning is not a metaphor but an ongoing condition the medium makes material.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Along with another allusion to his quip about Lucien’s death, that simile establishes the Anglo-Irish author as a terrifying counter-example of homosexual exposure.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Consider, for instance, the use of rhetorical figures such as metaphor or simile.—
Nino Letteriello,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
