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.

A nod to the attention-seeking fairies — here, less Tinker Bell and more a metaphor for being noticed — inspires a “Riverdance”-like breakout.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

If a black swan is a metaphor for rare, unpredictable market events, then it’s only the energy market that is seeing black-swan style price dynamics, they say.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

It’s consistently executed, balancing history and layered metaphor with sweeping cinematography and a score that contributes as much to its electrifying storytelling as Ryan Coogler’s writing and directing.

From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026

The penultimate track, “Paint by Numbers,” an acoustic ballad with a pretty melody, is a rare aesthetic change-up on the record, but its titular metaphor is ultimately deflating.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

Some scholars had believed them to be a kind of picture code, rich in murky metaphor, mostly about eyeballs and wavy lines, beetles, bumblebees and birds—especially birds.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan