metaphors

IPA/ˈmet.ə.fɔːr/
KK[mˈɛtəfɔrz]IPA/ˈmet̬.ə.fɔːr/

metaphors — noun

  • metaphorssingular
  • metaphorsesplural

1. A way of describing someone or something by using an expression that normally re

1.名詞C2
釋義

A way of describing someone or something by using an expression that normally refers to a different object or idea, based on an imagined similarity. For example, calling a kind person "an angel" or describing a noisy office as "a zoo" are both metaphors, because the speaker is not speaking literally.

例句

The poet described love as a rose, using a metaphor that readers remembered for centuries.

noun phrase 'a metaphor' following gerund 'using'

When Niran called his desk "a disaster zone," everyone knew he was using a metaphor.

prepositional phrase 'in metaphor' for non-literal speech

同義詞
  • figure of speech

    the broader category; metaphor is one type of figure of speech, alongside simile, personification, etc.

  • image

    a mental picture created by language; metaphor is one way to create an image

反義詞
  • literal language

    words used with their exact, dictionary meanings rather than figurative ones

用法筆記

The headword here is the plural form 'metaphors'. The singular form 'metaphor' is used when referring to one comparison (e.g., 'The poet used a metaphor of a rose for love'). The plural can refer to multiple instances or to the general concept of metaphorical language.

常見錯誤

❌A metaphor is when you compare two things using like or as.
✅A metaphor compares two things without using like or as; a simile uses like or as.
💡Metaphors are often confused with similes.
❌The writer used a metaphor to directly compare the sun to an orange.
✅The writer used a simile to directly compare the sun to an orange.
💡Direct comparisons with 'like' or 'as' are similes, not metaphors.