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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Recent Examples of metaphor
All of which is a metaphor for the Eagles, who regrouped after a disappointing season a year ago and achieved the pinnacle of the sport.
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Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Yes, football provides an excellent metaphor for the preparation, perseverance, teamwork, focus on fundamentals and an invincible heart required to live boldly.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The metaphor leaps out: Like letters of the alphabet, molecules (the nucleotide bases A, T, C and G, for adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine) are arranged into sequences — words, paragraphs, chapters, perhaps — in every organism, from bacteria to humans.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
The relationship with the dog, for me, was a metaphor for my interaction with everyone.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for metaphor 
Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 11 Feb. 2025
Yes, football provides an excellent metaphor for the preparation, perseverance, teamwork, focus on fundamentals and an invincible heart required to live boldly.
—Contributed Content, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025
The metaphor leaps out: Like letters of the alphabet, molecules (the nucleotide bases A, T, C and G, for adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine) are arranged into sequences — words, paragraphs, chapters, perhaps — in every organism, from bacteria to humans.
—Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
The relationship with the dog, for me, was a metaphor for my interaction with everyone.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for metaphor
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When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Thesaurus Entries Near metaphor
Cite this Entry
“Metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/metaphor. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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