metaphor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The fictional movie he’s making looks stiff, a period epic about Spain’s colonialist withdrawal from the Sahara in the 1930s, which doubles as a metaphor for the father’s destructive absence from his now-adult child’s life.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
On Keenan's experience of being in the hut, Pieter said it showed how the brain was a "metaphor and meaning-generating machine".
From BBC • May 15, 2026
My eyes watered at the apt metaphor for life and making the most of what you’re given; Jack said something admittedly funny about six minutes he’d never get back.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
Dawkins was not using “selfish” in the conventional sense of the word, but as an overextended metaphor for the lengths that DNA will go to replicate itself.
From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026
This seems rather enigmatic on the face of it, but actually I cannot think of a better metaphor for Julian’s personality.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Vocabulary lists containing metaphor
Some Helpful Poetry Terms
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Literary Devices & Figures of Speech - Introductory
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