metaphor

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A way of describing something by calling it something else to suggest they are alike, without using 'like' or 'as'.

   Calling someone 'a machine' is a metaphor for being tireless and efficient.

2. 2
   noun

   A word or phrase used in such an imaginative comparison.

   'A sea of troubles' is a powerful metaphor.

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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