as in analogy
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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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 metaphor The trailer — released Thursday by Focus Features — opens with a voiceover, a metaphor and a shot of a beehive. Cate Burtner, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2025 But waste should be surgically addressed, extending the metaphor, with a scalpel, not a chainsaw. Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2025 Formation flying is really a terrestrial metaphor to cover a painfully complex exercise in celestial mechanics. David Szondy june 28, New Atlas, 28 June 2025 That's a pretty good metaphor for Cliff Booth, who is equal parts suave and badass. Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for metaphor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for metaphor
analogy
Noun
  • The analogy is followed by another, comparing criminals to lions.
    Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 3 July 2025
  • Basketball is like jazz in so many ways that the analogy has become a cliché.
    Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metaphor. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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