Do you know what a metaphor is? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on metaphors, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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Kevin
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December 23, 2021
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What is a metaphor?
According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the definition of metaphor is a figure of speech in which a phrase or word is used to describe an object or action, which does not literally describe the thing but is rather used to imply a resemblance. Metaphor is three syllables – met-a-phor, and the pronunciation of metaphor is ˈmɛtəfə.
There are many types of metaphors you can work on understanding, including a mixed metaphor, dead metaphor, implied metaphor, visual metaphor, and more. This explicit comparison is used in many literary works by writers like Mark Johnson, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare in Romeo & Juliet, Elvis Presley in Hound Dog and more, and is very commonplace.
Many different languages also contain words that mean metaphor. You may notice that some of these translations of metaphor look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of metaphor is provided by Word Sense.
- Russian: мета́фора (fem.)
- German: Metapher (fem.)
- Italian: metafora (fem.)
- Turkish: metafor (common)
- Korean: 은유, 암유
- Japanese: 比喩 (ひゆ, hiyu)
- Persian: استعاره (este’âre)
- Bokmål: metafor (masc.)
- Romanian: metaforă (fem.)
- Danish: metafor (common)
- Georgian: მეტაფორა
- Tagalog: metafora
- Latvian: metafora (fem.)
- Irish: meafar (masc.)
- Vietnamese: ẩn dụ
- Finnish: metafora
- French: métaphore (fem.)
- Polish: przenośnia (fem.), metafora (fem.)
- Dutch: metafoor, beeldspraak, vergelijking
- Greek: μεταφορά (fem.)
- Portuguese: metáfora (fem.)
- Mandarin: 比喻 (bǐyù)
- Hebrew: מטפורה (metáfora)
- Swedish: metafor (common)
- Serbo-Croatian: metafora (fem.)
- Czech: metafora (fem.)
- Spanish: metáfora (fem.)
- Nynorsk: metafor (masc.)
- Maori: huahuatau
- Slovene: metafora (fem.)
- Hungarian: metafora
- Arabic: مَجَاز (masc.)
- Cantonese: 比喻 (bei2 jyu6)
What are examples of metaphors?
A metaphor can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! Below are a couple of examples of metaphors that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. Take a look at these metaphor examples from Your Dictionary and see how many you know!
- Tom’s eyes were ice as he stared at Mom.
- The wind was a howling wolf.
- The thunder was a mighty lion.
- His heart is a cold iron.
- You are my sunshine.
- John’s suggestion was just a Band-Aid for the problem.
- The park was a lake after the rain.
- The ballerina was a swan, gliding across the stage.
- Laughter is the best medicine.
- Daisy’s room is a disaster area.
- The road ahead was a ribbon stretching across the desert.
- The lightning was fireworks in the sky.
- Those best friends are two peas in a pod.
- The clouds are balls of cotton.
- Your brain is a computer.
- Her angry words were bullets to him.
- His grief was a dark cloud.
- Don’t let it ruffle your feathers.
- My dad is a road hog.
- That lawn is a green carpet.
- The sun is a golden ball.
- Maria is a chicken.
- The snow is a white blanket.
- The kids’ behavior was like circus monkeys.
- My big brother is a couch potato.
- He is a night owl.
- The calm lake was a mirror.
- Toddlers are rug rats.
- At five o’clock, the interstate is always a parking lot.
- The stormy ocean was a raging bull.
- Thank you so much, you are an angel.
- She is an early bird.
- The police took the suspects at face value.
- The children were flowers grown in concrete gardens.
- He is a shining star.
- My baseball coach is an ogre.
- The cast on his broken leg was a plaster shackle.
- The computers at school are old dinosaurs.
- Ben’s temper was a volcano, ready to explode.
- Mary’s eyes were fireflies.
- Her long hair was a flowing golden river.
- The classroom was a zoo.
- Jamal was a pig at dinner.
- The world is a stage.
- Donations to the charity were a tsunami.
- My teacher is a dragon.
- Life is a rollercoaster.
- Her lovely voice was music to his ears.
- The alligator’s teeth are white daggers.
- I am so excited. My pulse is a race car.
- He is a walking dictionary.
- The car was a furnace in the sun.
- The stars are sparkling diamonds.
- Their home was a prison.
- Kisses are the flowers of affection.
- The teenager’s stomach was a bottomless pit.
- The falling snowflakes are dancers.
- America is a melting pot.
- The moon is a white balloon.
- Her tears were a river flowing down her cheeks.
- Books are the keys to your imagination.
- She is a peacock.
- He was the black sheep of the family.
- What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!
What are other literary techniques and devices?
There are many different grammatical and literary techniques and devices that you might see when you are reading poetry or prose. Knowing these devices is very important because they are always used in writing or speech for some purpose. Knowing these devices can help readers and listeners understand the speaker or author’s deeper meaning and why they are using such a device. Take a look at the below list of literary devices from Reedsy and see how many you know! Then try researching ones that are unfamiliar to you.
- Hyperbole
- Archetype
- Alliteration
- Repetition
- Imagery
- Synecdoche
- Chiasmus
- Tmesis
- Hypophora
- Frame story
- Allegory
- Flashback
- Juxtaposition
- Tautology
- Anthropomorphism
- Oxymoron
- Cumulative sentence
- Colloquialism
- Irony
- Polysyndeton
- Aphorism
- Satire
- Exposition
- Zoomorphism
- Malapropism
- Allusion
- Tragicomedy
- Simile
- Motif
- Point of view
- Tone
- Metonymy
- Paradox
- Anachronism
- Symbolism
- Anastrophe
- Litotes
- Anaphora
- Dramatic irony
- Onomatopoeia
- Euphemism
- Soliloquy
- Isocolon
- In Medias Res
- Foreshadowing
- Personification
Overall, the word metaphor is a powerful literary device that uses vivid imagery to describe something. These can range from cliche implication to vivid images.
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