as in analogies
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 metaphors
The novella is a haunted house, dual point of view ride where the metaphors from the top down are consistently delivered.
—
Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
The writer son makes metaphors out of the garden—indeed, out of the very idea of the garden-as-metaphor—while the father, who told great stories but was entirely unliterary, made a garden out of the earth.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
For the monks or clerics, it is presented as a material substance, carried like a sack of gold on the demon’s back; the metaphors used are monetary or economic, as though the monks owe ordered syllables to God instead of the monetary tithe their vows of poverty render unnecessary.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
One that isn’t slurred together from such a familiar combination of backwater lawlessness, faux-polite menace, and profoundly sweaty animal metaphors.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
The metaphors of two competitive tennis players vying for the love of a third are not buried especially deep in this film, but no one came here looking for Tolstoy.
—John Ortved, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025
That’s a heavy load to balance — on top of a slew of symbols and metaphors.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
This is a series that has always operated as absurd speculation, where broad metaphors about life and science get posited amid techno beats and car chases.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Its pointed lyrics and dark metaphors have led many to dissect not only Swift’s personal experiences with industry executives but the broader realities facing young artists in the music business today.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
The writer son makes metaphors out of the garden—indeed, out of the very idea of the garden-as-metaphor—while the father, who told great stories but was entirely unliterary, made a garden out of the earth.
—James Wood, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
For the monks or clerics, it is presented as a material substance, carried like a sack of gold on the demon’s back; the metaphors used are monetary or economic, as though the monks owe ordered syllables to God instead of the monetary tithe their vows of poverty render unnecessary.
—JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025
One that isn’t slurred together from such a familiar combination of backwater lawlessness, faux-polite menace, and profoundly sweaty animal metaphors.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 31 Oct. 2025
The metaphors of two competitive tennis players vying for the love of a third are not buried especially deep in this film, but no one came here looking for Tolstoy.
—John Ortved, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025
That’s a heavy load to balance — on top of a slew of symbols and metaphors.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
This is a series that has always operated as absurd speculation, where broad metaphors about life and science get posited amid techno beats and car chases.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Its pointed lyrics and dark metaphors have led many to dissect not only Swift’s personal experiences with industry executives but the broader realities facing young artists in the music business today.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphors
Noun
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Here was a program that could translate as well as an expert, make analogies, extemporize, generalize.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Max’s wide range of uses has prompted analogies to China’s WeChat.—
Justin Sherman,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Since launching in 2012, Candy Crush Saga has remained one of the most popular games on mobile devices, accruing millions of daily players.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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On the hardware side over 10+ million devices have been built around a recovery phrase by default, entrenching a market expectation in which seed phrases are the go-to recovery method, even as some vendors add alternatives.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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One of Weapons’ conceits is its chapter structure centering on particular characters, and sources say that Cregger actually had a chapter focused on Gladys and some of her backstory.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Aug. 2025
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All the conceits of a true-crime film are there – the lead detective interviews, shaky images from police-cams, the salacious headlines, the nauseating crime scene photos, the TV news reports, teary interviews with friends and family.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Metaphors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metaphors. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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