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metaphor.

The use of a word, phrase, concept, or set of concepts to refer to something other than its literal meaning, invoking an implicit similarity between the thing described and what is denoted by the word, etc., that is used.

8 characters3 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈmɛt.ə.fə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmɛt.ə.fɔː/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmɛt.ə.foɹ/Canada, General-American[ˈmɛɾ.ə.foɹ]Canada, General-American
  1. The use of a word, phrase, concept, or set of concepts to refer to something other than its literal meaning, invoking an implicit similarity between the thing described and what is denoted by the word, etc., that is used.

    rhetoric · uncountable
  2. A word or phrase used in such implied comparison.

    countable · rhetoric
  3. The use of an everyday object or concept to represent an underlying facet of the computer and thus aid users in performing tasks.

    countable
Where this word comes from

From Middle French métaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Ancient Greek μεταφορά (metaphorá), from μεταφέρω (metaphérō, “to transfer, apply”), from μετά (metá, “with, across, after”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”).

verb/ˈmɛt.ə.fə/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmɛt.ə.fɔː/Received-Pronunciation/ˈmɛt.ə.foɹ/Canada, General-American[ˈmɛɾ.ə.foɹ]Canada, General-American
  1. To use a metaphor.

    intransitive
  2. To describe by means of a metaphor.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

From Middle French métaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Ancient Greek μεταφορά (metaphorá), from μεταφέρω (metaphérō, “to transfer, apply”), from μετά (metá, “with, across, after”) + φέρω (phérō, “to bear, carry”).

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metaphor studiometaphor workshello, metaphor

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.