Definition

1. Noun:
   • A figure of speech: A metaphor is a word or phrase used to describe something by directly comparing it to something else, suggesting they are the same in some way, without using "like" or "as."
   • A symbolic representation: It can also refer to a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • "The classroom was a zoo" is a metaphor comparing a chaotic classroom to a zoo.
  • "Time is a thief" is a common metaphor suggesting time steals moments from our lives.
  • She used the metaphor of a journey to describe her career.

Advanced Usage

• Extended/Mixed Metaphor: A metaphor that is developed over several lines or throughout an entire work, or a combination of inconsistent metaphors.
  • The poet's extended metaphor of the nation as a ship navigating a storm was powerful.
• Dead Metaphor: A metaphor that has become so common it is no longer considered figurative (e.g., "the leg of the table").
  • "Grasping an idea" is now a dead metaphor.

Variants and Related Words

• Metaphorical (adj): Having the nature of a metaphor; not literal.
  • His statement was meant in a metaphorical sense.
• Metaphorically (adv): In a metaphorical manner.
  • He is, metaphorically speaking, climbing the corporate ladder.

Synonyms

• Figure of speech: An expression used for rhetorical effect.
• Analogy: A comparison between two things to explain or clarify.
• Symbol: Something that represents or stands for something else.

Related Phrases

• Mixed metaphor: The inconsistent combination of two or more metaphors, often producing a humorous effect.
  • "We'll burn that bridge when we come to it" is a classic mixed metaphor.

Related Idioms

• A metaphor for life: Used to describe something that symbolically represents the nature or experience of human existence.
  • For many, the marathon is a metaphor for life's struggles and triumphs.

Noun

1. a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity