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
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
Certainly Lockwood’s skill with metaphors has not waned.
—Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Chinese doctors warned clinicians that patients may deploy Confucian metaphors framing hereditary cancer as moral condemnation.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
However, her ability to use homophones and metaphors allows the songwriting to evolve from being hyper-personal to being universally relatable.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
The animal metaphors simply made this explicit.
—Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Ninagawa uses visual spectacle and elaborate visual metaphors to bring out the inner life of the play.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Instead of turning the actual evils into metaphors.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Certainly Lockwood’s skill with metaphors has not waned.
—Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Chinese doctors warned clinicians that patients may deploy Confucian metaphors framing hereditary cancer as moral condemnation.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
However, her ability to use homophones and metaphors allows the songwriting to evolve from being hyper-personal to being universally relatable.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 9 Sep. 2025
The animal metaphors simply made this explicit.
—Francois Botha, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Ninagawa uses visual spectacle and elaborate visual metaphors to bring out the inner life of the play.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2025
Instead of turning the actual evils into metaphors.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphors
Noun
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Foreign observers, too, found analogies to the nineteenth-century Russian intelligentsia irresistible.—
Benjamin Nathans
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
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What kind of discourse can draw out such analogies while simultaneously acknowledging and preserving difference?—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As such, more will be required than a World Cup ticket, particularly because physical tickets are vulnerable to counterfeiting, while electronic devices, which may ordinarily be a way to show authentic tickets, are usually forbidden in consular buildings where interviews take place.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Nielsen’s streaming ratings cover viewing on TV sets only and don’t include minutes watched on computers or mobile devices.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 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 6 Oct. 2025.
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