as in metaphor
grammar
a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar
"She's as fierce as a tiger" is a simile, but "She's a tiger when she's angry" is a metaphor.
Related Words
Relevance
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 simile
Along with another allusion to his quip about Lucien’s death, that simile establishes the Anglo-Irish author as a terrifying counter-example of homosexual exposure.
—
Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Consider, for instance, the use of rhetorical figures such as metaphor or simile.
—Nino Letteriello, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next.
—Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Her father was a scientist and worked for NASA, so her work, including The Body’s Question and Life on Mars, is infused with the cosmos and space and all these metaphors and similes tied to the most mysterious places in the universe.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for simile
Literary Hub, 2 Feb. 2026
Consider, for instance, the use of rhetorical figures such as metaphor or simile.
—Nino Letteriello, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next.
—Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Her father was a scientist and worked for NASA, so her work, including The Body’s Question and Life on Mars, is infused with the cosmos and space and all these metaphors and similes tied to the most mysterious places in the universe.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for simile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simile
metaphor
Noun
-
This is not a metaphor dropped into a chapter and abandoned.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Anyone who seeks out career advice (in any field) is destined to get bombarded with metaphors.—
Dana Harris-Bridson,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Simile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simile. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
