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
The painting on the cover serves as a perfect metaphor for the themes of the book: that what appears fragmented is still part of a whole; that love, like fruit, ripens in its own time.
—
Claire Adam, People.com, 28 July 2025
With this new creation, Liu turns our gaze back to earth, exploring the existential solitude and quiet observation of these aging machines as metaphors for diasporic longing, technological obsolescence and the search for connection and purpose.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
The Navy, in this film, is a metaphor for the country: blind, mechanistic, detached from reality.
—Arkansas Online, 24 July 2025
While often used symbolically as a metaphor for endless toil, a hamster wheel provides your pet with a reliable and necessary source of exercise.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Claire Adam, People.com, 28 July 2025
With this new creation, Liu turns our gaze back to earth, exploring the existential solitude and quiet observation of these aging machines as metaphors for diasporic longing, technological obsolescence and the search for connection and purpose.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
The Navy, in this film, is a metaphor for the country: blind, mechanistic, detached from reality.
—Arkansas Online, 24 July 2025
While often used symbolically as a metaphor for endless toil, a hamster wheel provides your pet with a reliable and necessary source of exercise.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphor
analogy
Noun
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The interesting thing here is taking that analogy to the bitter lesson.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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That’s as far as the analogy goes, though film fans can easily guess who is Mr. Potter in this scenario.—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
26 July 2025
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 8 Aug. 2025.
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