metaphor
[noun]
Synonyms: figure of speech, allegory, analogy, image, symbol, trope

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Related Idioms: figure of speech
Related Words: comparison, trope, allegory, personification

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English Thesaurus: dialect, accent, slang, terminology, jargon, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

met‧a‧phor /ˈmetəfə, -fɔː $ -fɔːr/ noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: French; Origin: métaphore, from Latin, from Greek metaphora, from meta- ( ⇒ meta-) + pherein 'to carry']

1. a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing ⇒ simile:
She uses some wonderful images and metaphors in her writing.
a very creative use of metaphor

2. mixed metaphor the use of two different metaphors at the same time to describe something, especially in a way that seems silly or funny

3. something that represents a general idea or quality
metaphor for
Their relationship is a metaphor for the failure of communication in the modern world.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

metaphor
noun
ADJ. appropriate, apt, striking | mixed
VERB + METAPHOR use He uses the metaphor of fire to represent hatred.
METAPHOR + VERB describe sth, represent sth
PREP. ~ for ‘This vale of tears’ is a metaphor for the human condition.
~ of the metaphor of life as a journey

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

metaphor

use a metaphor
To use her own metaphor, she is a caged bird who wants to fly free.
extend a metaphor (=to use other metaphors with a similar idea)
The poem extends the metaphor of food still further.
borrow a metaphor from something (=use a metaphor from another subject, book etc)
To borrow an architectural metaphor, you cannot see the whole building if you focus on the individual bricks.
a powerful metaphor (=one that works very well)
His election campaign used the powerful metaphor of ‘building a bridge to the next century’.
a vivid metaphor (=one that gives you a picture in your mind)
The book is full of vivid metaphors and powerful images.
an appropriate/apt metaphor (=a very suitable one)
Building on sand is an apt metaphor for the challenge we face.
a central metaphor (=one that a poem or book is based around)
The poet as something carried by the ocean is a central metaphor in the book.
a mixed metaphor (=the use of two different metaphors at the same time to describe something, especially in a way that seems silly or funny)
In a mixed metaphor, she said ‘he stepped up to the plate and took the bull by the horns.’
a religious/military/biological etc metaphor
He uses a military metaphor to describe these women as ‘storming’ the castle of male power.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dialect a form of a language that is spoken in one area of a country, with different words, grammar, or pronunciation from other areas:
Cantonese is only one of many Chinese dialects.
the local dialect
accent the way that someone pronounces words, because of where they were born or live, or their social class:
Karen has a strong New Jersey accent.
an upper class accent
slang very informal spoken language, used especially by people who belong to a particular group, for example young people or criminals:
Teenage slang changes all the time.
‘Dosh’ is slang for ‘money’.
terminology formal the technical words or expressions that are used in a particular subject:
musical terminology
Patients are often unfamiliar with medical terminology.
jargon especially disapproving words and phrases used in a particular profession or subject and which are difficult for other people to understand:
The instructions were written in complicated technical jargon.
‘Outsourcing’ is business jargon for sending work to people outside a company to do.
The letter was full of legal jargon.
metaphor a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing:
The beehive is a metaphor for human society.
simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words as or like, for example ‘as white as snow’:
The poet uses the simile ‘soft like clay’.
irony the use of words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing:
‘I’m so happy to hear that,’ he said, with more than a trace of irony in his voice.
bathos a sudden change from a subject that is beautiful, moral, or serious to something that is ordinary, silly, or not important:
The play is too sentimental and full of bathos.
hyperbole a way of describing something by saying that it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is – used especially to excite people’s feelings:
In his speeches, he used a lot of hyperbole.
journalistic hyperbole
alliteration the use of several words together that all begin with the same sound, in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry:
the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in ‘sweet birds sang softly’
imagery the use of words to describe ideas or actions in a way that makes the reader connect the ideas with pictures in their mind:
the use of water imagery in Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’
She uses the imagery of a bird’s song to represent eternal hope.
rhetorical question a question that you ask as a way of making a statement, without expecting an answer:
When he said ‘how can these attitudes still exist in a civilized society?’, he was asking a rhetorical question.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲