metaphors

Definition of metaphorsnext
plural of metaphor
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 metaphors Anyone who seeks out career advice (in any field) is destined to get bombarded with metaphors. Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 8 May 2026 The artist has described works like this one as metaphors for the violence of colonialism in her home country. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026 Ebel even alternates between hockey and baseball metaphors. Jordan Blum, Fortune, 4 May 2026 All the Rest is steeped in metaphors and imagery that evokes those spaces. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2026 The uniqueness is his metaphors. New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026 Green’s list of eerie parallels included two swimming-pool metaphors and a climactic injury in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs and two strikes. Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026 Its celestial metaphors and soaring strings have earned Diamond certification by the RIAA and been covered by everyone from Taylor Swift to Luke Combs. Nate Sloan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026 What about forests, given my fondness for tree metaphors? Elena Megalos, Longreads, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphors
Noun
  • The psychologist found these analogies interesting.
    Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
  • Those are harsh analogies but not wholly inapt ones.
    Phil Plait, Scientific American, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • In the Jobs era, the Apple ecosystem was its biggest competitive advantage — Cook doubled down on it, with all devices working seamlessly together.
    Vitaliy Katsenelson, Fortune, 14 May 2026
  • Despite their tiny size, the devices delivered some of the strongest efficiencies reported for ultrathin perovskite solar technology.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • Canet has to do some gymnastics to sell several of his conceits, and a few reveals land with the thud of too-easy convenience.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
  • In those earlier pictures, metaphysical conceits became visual and dramatic gambits as the filmmakers set out to colonize the vast interior worlds of, respectively, the mind and the spirit.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Metaphors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metaphors. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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