Word of the day · 25 April 2026
metaphor
/ˈmɛtəfɔː/
noun
A figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were another, suggesting a likeness without using like or as.
In a sentence
- “The classroom was a beehive” is a metaphor for busy noise.
- Good metaphors make abstract policy feel concrete.
- He mixed metaphors until the speech sounded muddy.
In an image
Origin
From Greek metaphora (a transfer), from metapherein (to carry over).
History
Rhetoric treated metaphor as carrying a word from its home sense into a new one. Everyday speech runs on buried metaphors (time is money, argument is war). Teachers contrast metaphor with simile, which makes the comparison explicit with like or as. Searchers want that classroom distinction refreshed.
Nearby words
simile · imagery · analogy
Calling one thing by another’s name to reveal a likeness.