What is a metaphor?

Answer

A metaphor, like a simile, is a literary comparison of one object to another, except a metaphor using words like "was" or "is," instead of using words that are used in simile, such as "like" or "as."

Answer

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison, as in "a sea of troubles" or "All the world's a stage" (Shakespeare).

Answer

A metaphor is a comparison.

Here is an example:

Success is a staircase. It takes sustained effort to reach the top, but not much effort at all to fall down.

(The metaphor is in the first sentence, but the second sentence extends it a little.)

See the wikipedia article for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor

A metaphor is a simile without the word like in it.

My love is like a red red rose. Is a simile

My love is a red red rose. Is a metaphor

When you describe something as being something it isn't in order to make a comparison............ i.e....


The grass was as sharp as a knife (The grass wasn't actually as sharp as a knife, the statement merely means to describe how sharply the grass is cut)

My hands were as cold as ice. (They weren't actually below freezing point but this sentence describes the severity of the cold conditions that the hands were subject to)

First answer by Maesterseargant. Last edit by Viper1usmc. Contributor trust: 1101 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 2 [recommend question]