What does metaphor mean?

Definitions for metaphor
ˈmɛt əˌfɔr, -fərmetaphor

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word metaphor.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. metaphornoun

    a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity

Wiktionary

  1. metaphornoun

    The use of a word or phrase to refer to something that it isn't, invoking a direct similarity between the word or phrase used and the thing described, but in the case of English without the words like or as, which would imply a simile.

  2. metaphornoun

    The word or phrase used in this way. An implied comparison.

  3. Etymology: From metaphora, from μεταφορά, from μεταφέρω, from μετά + φέρω

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. METAPHORnoun

    The application of a word to an use to which, in its original import, it cannot be put: as, he bridles his anger; he deadens the sound; the spring awakes the flowers.

    Etymology: metaphore, Fr. μετάφορα.

    The work of tragedy is on the passions, and in a dialogue; both of them abhor strong metaphors, in which the epopœa delights. John Dryden, Virgil’s Æneis. Ded. to.

Wikipedia

  1. Metaphor

    Metaphor can mean: Metaphor in literature and rhetoric, an analogy between two objects or ideas, conveyed by using a word instead of another word Conceptual metaphor, metaphors in cognitive linguistics, understanding one idea or conceptual domain in terms of another Interface metaphor, metaphors in computer science, for example an icon of a filing cabinet for "filestore" Metaphor: The Tree of Utah, a sculpture "Metaphor", a song by In Flames from their album Reroute to Remain "Metaphors", a poem by Sylvia Plath

ChatGPT

  1. metaphor

    A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable, implying a resemblance or analogy. It involves a direct or indirect comparison between two unlike things, suggesting that one thing is another, not just that one is like another. For example, "He is a lion in battle," directly compares a man to a lion, implying courage and strength.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Metaphornoun

    the transference of the relation between one set of objects to another set for the purpose of brief explanation; a compressed simile; e. g., the ship plows the sea

  2. Etymology: [F. mtaphore, L. metaphora, fr. Gr. metafora`, fr. metafe`rein to carry over, transfer; meta` beyond, over + fe`rein to bring, bear.]

Wikidata

  1. Metaphor

    A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes a subject by asserting that it is, on some point of comparison, the same as another otherwise unrelated object. Metaphor is a type of analogy and is closely related to other rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via association, comparison or resemblance including allegory, hyperbole, and simile. In simpler terms, a metaphor compares two objects or things without using the words "like" or "as". One of the most prominent examples of a metaphor in English literature is the All the world's a stage monologue from As You Like It: This quote is a metaphor because the world is not literally a stage. By figuratively asserting that the world is a stage, Shakespeare uses the points of comparison between the world and a stage to convey an understanding about the mechanics of the world and the lives of the people within it.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Metaphor

    met′a-fur, n. a transference of meaning, the putting of one thing for another which it only resembles, as when words are said to be bitter: an implicit simile.—adjs. Metaphor′ic, -al, pertaining to, or containing, metaphor: figurative.—adv. Metaphor′ically.—ns. Metaphor′icalness; Met′aphorist.—Mixed metaphor, an expression in which two or more metaphors are confused, where one only is capable of being intelligibly evolved or conceived objectively, as Cromwell's 'God has kindled a seed in this nation.' [Fr.,—Gr. metaphorametaphereinmeta, over, pherein, to carry.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine

  1. Metaphor

    The application of a concept to that which it is not literally the same but which suggests a resemblance and comparison. Medical metaphors were widespread in ancient literature; the description of a sick body was often used by ancient writers to define a critical condition of the State, in which one corrupt part can ruin the entire system. (From Med Secoli Arte Sci, 1990;2(3):abstract 331)

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'metaphor' in Nouns Frequency: #2660

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of metaphor in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of metaphor in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of metaphor in a Sentence

  1. Kanye West:

    I was so self-conscious about the nanny and the housekeeper that I didn't want them to hear me screaming in the living room, i think that that's such a metaphor of something for the existence of so-called well-off people that they're not really well-off -- they won't even scream in their own house.

  2. Barbra Streisand:

    The moral immune system of this country has been weakened and attacked, and the AIDS virus is the perfect metaphor for it. The malignant neglect of the last twelve years has led to breakdown of our country's immune system, environmentally, culturally, politically, spiritually and physically.

  3. Caroline Hickman:

    We need to engage with the reality of climate change in order to deal with it, the monster gives us a metaphor, a narrative through which we can do that.

  4. Bill Carter:

    There's a bit of an addiction metaphor here because you can't quit President Donald Trump cold turkey, they're going to find it's tough to move on because the stories will continue to play out. I mean, Stephen Colbert'll criticize every single thing that Biden does, and there's the story of the insurrection. So until all of that becomes resolved, President Donald Trump will still be a massive story for everybody, including late-night.

  5. Sterling Backus:

    I was shaking in my boots since it was like getting a call from the Pope and he is coming to dinner, of course, a metaphor, but just to give( you) the idea of the gravity to me, personally.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

metaphor#10000#16708#100000

Translations for metaphor

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"metaphor." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/metaphor>.

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