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
Although his metaphor is original, the underlying case is not.
—
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
One of the prettiest moment’s in the play is when Liz offers to buy a round of drinks for her fellow passengers, a simple gesture that speaks to a bigger metaphor.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The Persian text is a blend of ornate prose and verse dense with allegory and metaphor.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
Adika used the metaphor, favored by this particular editor as well, that AI is like a sports car in terms of its speed.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
One of the prettiest moment’s in the play is when Liz offers to buy a round of drinks for her fellow passengers, a simple gesture that speaks to a bigger metaphor.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The Persian text is a blend of ornate prose and verse dense with allegory and metaphor.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026
Adika used the metaphor, favored by this particular editor as well, that AI is like a sports car in terms of its speed.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphor
analogy
Noun
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Craig agrees and frames the challenge in terms of historical analogy.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
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Related Stories The obviousness of the analogy — paging Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie!—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
9 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2026.
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