a filmic device in which a scene, character, object, and/or action may be associated, identified, or interpreted as an implied representation of something else (that is unrelated) Example: Hitchcock's use of the image of a train tunnel at the conclusion of North by Northwest (1959) to metaphorically signify sex, or the rain-drenched (like tears falling) sad farewell letter from Ilsa to Rick in Casablanca (1942)

The application of a word or phrase to an object or concept, to which it does not literally apply, in order to suggest comparison with another object or concept. A figure of speech in which one idea or action is referred to by a word or phrase that normally indicates a different idea or action. An unstated comparison of one thing with another. Unlike a simile or analogy, a metaphor asserts that one thing, rather than that it is like another. See also ANALOGY FIGURE OF SPEECH IMAGERY MIXED METAPHOR SIMILE

A story, parable or analogy that relates one situation, experience or phenomenon to another.

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money); broadly : figurative language -- compare SIMILE : an object, activity, or idea treated as a metaphor

a trope; an implied comparison between two dissimilar things.

An imaginative comparison between dissimilar things without using like or as. Frank is a snake.

a figurative way of comparing or understanding one thing in terms of something else, usually by saying something “is” something else. To refer, for example, to a wave of immigrants or a sea of faces emphasizes humans as a collective whole rather than as distinct individuals. All metaphors highlight certain features of the comparison and obscure others. For example, the two metaphors dating is a game and dating is a dance may be equally valid, but the first one emphasizes competition and the possibility of winning or losing while the second emphasizes the cooperative nature of the enterprise.

a concise comparison equating two things that may at first seem unrelated

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness between them; a figure of speech in which a comparison is implied by analogy but not stated.

an implied comparison of unlike objects or thoughts.

equating two things in a figurative (rather than literal sense)

A word, symbol, phrase or quality that signifies something else, often suggesting a powerful concept or state, either kinetic or static, positive or negative.

understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another., an "intuitive perception of the similarity in dissimilars"; “Metaphor is largely in use among these People; unless you accustom yourself to it, you will understand nothing.” Paul Le Jeune, New France, 1638

(OALD) [C, U](example of the)use of a word or phrase to indicate sth different from (though related in some way to) the literal meaning, as in "I'll make him eat his words" or "She has a heart of stone

Figurative language in which something unknown or imperfectly known is described in terms of something known. Frequently used biblical metaphors for God include father, king, rock, bridegroom; others are midwife and mother hen. God has some attributes of each of these figures, but is not limited to them. They are not intended literally: God may be nurturing like a mother hen, but that doesn't mean God has feathers.

A metaphor is something that exists in the users' real world that could make it easier for the user to understand the use of the system. The purpose of a metaphor is to exploit the users' existing knowledge. The user can relate to the contents and operations of the user interface based on their earlier real world experiences through the metaphor.

A figurative use of language in which a comparison is expressed without the use of a comparative term like "as," "like," or "than." A simile would say, "Night is like a black bat;" a metaphor would say, "the black bat night." When Romeo says, "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun," his metaphors compare her window to the east and Juliet to the sun.

A figure of speech in which there is an implied, not stated, comparison of two unlike things or ideas. Such as, "it's a dog's life"; "all the world's a stage"; and "computers are the vehicles of tomorrow".

4,5,6,7,8,9,10 A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things (e.g., he's a tiger).

Saying something is something else for comparison.  He was a monster.  Compare with simile.

A relation between two symbols, which may be simple juxtaposition (literal metaphor), a rhetorical statement of likeness or similarity (descriptive metaphor), an analogy of proportion among four terms (formal metaphor), an identity of an individual with its class (concrete universal or archetypal metaphor), or statement of hypothetical identity (anagogic metaphor).

equates or relates two dissimilar things (without the use of "like" or "as"). My mouth is a desert (the author uses a desert to best describe how her mouth feels), Life sails forward (the author is equating life to a boat).

A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things.

the application of a name or descriptive term or phrase to an object or action to         which it is imaginatively but not literally applicable nano technology            the development and use of devices that have a size of only a few nanometres operating system            the software that controls the actions of the different parts of your PC

In one sense, a figure of speech in which a word or expression is transferred from its customary domain to an unusual one; in a more general sense, the name for any trope or figure of speech.

from " metaphero," to carry across; an implied comparison of two dissimilar realities stated in terms of equivalency (e.g., God is "King," Jesus is God's "Son," Jesus is the "Lamb" of God)

Indirect communication by a story or figure of speech implying a comparison. In NLP metaphor covers similes, parables and allegories.

"A figure of speech by which a thing is spoken of as being that which it only resembles, as when a ferocious man is called a tiger" (Chambers' Twentieth Century Dictionary )."A figure of speech in which a term is transferred from the object it ordinarily designates to an object it may designate only by implicit comparison or analogy, as in the phrase 'evening of life.'" (American Heritage Dictionary).

a figure of speech in which a comparison is implied by analogy but not stated; e.g., She is a walking encyclopedia; His bark is worse than his bite.

An implied comparison that uses a contrasting word or phrase to evoke a vivid image.

A figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used for one thing is applied to another. For example, "the pools of her eyes" or "all the world's a stage."

n. a mataphor is a comparison in which a word which ordinarily means one thing is applied to another. It compares things implicitly. For example, "The curtain of night," is a metaphor that likens "night" to a "curtain" that conceals.

a word which does not precisely or literally refer to the entity to which it is supposed to refer. Metaphors are sometimes thought to exist only in works of literature, but is actually prevalent in language in general. One engages in the metaphorical use of language, for instance, when one says that one is feeling 'down'. [Contributor: Dr. Ismail S. Talib, National University of Singapore.

A figure of speech used in literature or poetry in which an object is chosen to represent the qualities or meaning of some other object or idea. It is a comparison or analogy of one thing to something else which is like it. Some, for example, say that the expression "God spoke" is a metaphor for the human perception of the Divine Will.

(MET·a·phor). Any comparison not to be taken literally. The normal use of a metaphor is to communicate a new insight. It is an explanatory device often used when more literal language fails. Metonic cycle (Me·TON·ic CY·cle) A 19-year cycle after which the new moon occurs on the same day of the year as at the beginning of the cycle.

a statement that one thing is something else

Figurative language that is used to describe a person, an object or an event. For example, people say that a computer 'thinks'.

An implied comparison between two things, where they are stated as the same thing, i.e. "Hope is a thing with feathers" (Emily Dickinson) (Note: related to a simile, where the comparison uses the words like or as, as in "light as a feather")

in metaphorical usage, expressions are used in a way that appears literally false. For example, using the word boiling to describe water which is simply too hot for comfort.

Implicit comparison, by using a word normally used for one thing, to designate another ( He closed the door to his heart).

Comparison for the purpose of description, clarification, or emphasis. (see Simile) eg. "I would never go out with that guy. He's a pig!"

A comparison of widely dissimilar things intended to convey meaning. The comparison involves a Tenor, or the subject being discussed, and a Vehicle, or the analogy, the comparison "carrying" the meaning. Ex: "My heart is a singing bird" Tenor=heart Vehicle=singing bird "The professor growled at the students." Tenor=professor Vehicle=growled

A symbolic comparison where one thing stands for another thing; an image which synthesizes two meanings.

A linguistic device that associates a new idea with an idea the audience already understands.

A literary term designating a figure of speech that implies a comparison or identity of one thing with something else. It permits concise communication of a complex idea by use of associative imagery, as with Shakespeare's "morn in russet mantle clad."

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

a brief, compressed comparison that talks about one thing as if it were another

a common linguistic tool in which the qualities of one object are transferred to another

a comparision between two unrelated things

a comparison between two different things without the words "like" or "as

a comparison by direct

a compression of two unlike things

a context for thought and understanding which has relevant similarities to a target conceptual domain

a coupling, is a putting two things together, isn't it

a denotation of a thing/concept by a word that denotes something else, with the intent to draw some qualities from the nominal sense of the word

a description of a thing from one semantic field (e

a descriptiopn of something using eanything else

a descripton of one thing in

a dynamic conceptual agency , which may continue to grow as more conceptual structure is acquired regarding either the tenor or vehicle domains

a figurative language, mostly associated with poetry, which usually describes a subject, situation, or an action

a figure of speach where one thing is described as another (i

a figure of speech by which an object, action or idea is expressed, defined or described in terms of another image'

a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that have something in common

a figure of speech denoting by word or phrase, an object or an idea in place of another --to suggest a likeness or analogy between them

a figure of speech involving the artful use of a word or expression that substitutes for another

a figure of speech in which a name or descriptive term is transferred to some object to which it is not literally applicable

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that is ordinarily used for one thing and is applied to designate something else

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that means one thing is used to describe an object or ideas to

a figure of speech in which a word or phrasethat means one thing is used to describe an object or ideasto which it is not literally applicable -- a ship is said to plow the sea

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily applies to one kind of experience or phenomenon is applied to another, thereby suggesting a similarity or likeness between them

a figure of speech in which one subject is likened to another by speaking of it as if it were that other, as HE WAS A LION IN BATTLE

a figure of speech in which one thing is figuratively called another thing

a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were something else

a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another

a figure of speech in which special qualities of one concept or entity are applied to another to provide clearer meaning or to add color to the presentation

a figure of speech in which two different universes of thought are linked by some point of similarity

a figure of speech that compares UNLIKE THINGS by saying that one thing is the other

a figure of speech that is used to explain abstract or unfamiliar concepts and ideas by comparing them to more familiar objects, people or ideas

a figure of speech that is used to indicate resemblance

a figure of speech that STANDS IN THE PLACE of a real object

a figure of speech using a word or phrase that usually means one thing to refer to something else

a figure of speech where a word literally denoting one idea is used in place of another to suggest likeness or analogy between them, like Jesus saying he was a door' a vine, or a shepherd

a figure of speech whereby one thing is described in terms of something else

a figure of speech which is based on a pattern of resemblance

a figure of speech which substitutes one concept for another to describe a similarity

a figure that stands for something else

a figure which consists in the transference to one object of an attribute or name which strictly and literally is not applicable to it, but only figuratively and by analogy

a "frame," or worldview, within your brain, and Lakoff wanted to figure out what that meant

a holistic schema, a unifying framework that links a conceptual representation to its sensory and experiential ground

a linguistic phenomenon by which you get two ideas for the price of one, two ideas are expressed in one phrase

a manner of speaking in which one phenomenon is likened to another as if it is the other

a mapping across discrete conceptual domains

a mapping of a source conceptual schema (such as our conceptual schema for journey) onto a target conceptual schema (such as our conceptual schema for life)

an abridged simile

an alteration of a word from the proper and natural meaning to that which is not proper and yet agreeth thereunto by some likeness that appeareth to be in it

an analogy in which an implicit comparison is made between two things

an application of one concept to another that does not literally relate

an equivalence between two different things that exhibit the same behavior in their own system of reality

an expression indicating that something is similar to something else

an image used to signify the essential characteristics of a phenomenon

an imaginative story

an implied analogy between two objects

an implied comparison, a word applied to something it is not, to suggest a resemblance

an implied comparison between two things to illustrate a point of similarity

a partially collapsed simile

a pattern that connects, forming new ideas

a phenomenon that can be stated on the form A is B and in which A is attributed meaning from B non-literally

a phrase that describes a symbol, most effectively in the form of a memory enhanced by imagination, which likens one thing to another

a phrase that states that one thing is the other

a phrase which is not literally true but is meant to make you think of something particular, something relevant which adds a new strength to the description

a picture and at the beginning there are only pictures

a picture, an image

a picturesque analogy

a powerful but sometimes dangerous way of indicating a relationship between different things

a process of considering one thing to be like another for the purposes of understanding, manipulating, and describing that thing

a representation of an object or an idea with which it shares a similar quality

a simile comprised in a word

a soft, simple and effect way to deliver - impart a message that greatly increases the interest, perception and understanding of the messages within the story

a statement that means something different, or more, than its literal meaning

a story in a word

a story which explains a deeply meaningful truth

a story whose meaning also fits another situation

a surprisingly powerful thing - surprising, because many of them have become so deeply entrenched in human language that it is possible to use one without ever noticing it on the conscious level

a symbol of a concrete "thing"

a terrible thing to waste, so the last step is to apply the analogy to a realistic situation

a tool through which we can distort our ideas enough to make them either more appealing or more understandable

a useful tool in building understanding of a difficult idea

a verbal acknowledgment for this implied likeness or analogy

a way of capturing a feeling in words, and creating is a feeling

a way of describing an unknown thing in terms of a known thing, factoring in all the layers of cultural information contained in the known thing

a way of describing something by saying it has the qualities of something else

a way of explaining or understanding one thing in terms of another

a way of saying that one thing has the essential characteristics of another thing

a way of talking about one thing and meaning another

a way to describe the information server or how it is arranged by comparing it with something commonly understood

a way to understand one thing in terms of something else

a word or phrase that means one thing, but is used to describe something else

a word or phrase that uses one object to describe another

a word or phrase that usually means one thing and is used to mean another thing

a word or phrase used in appropriately

a word or phrase used in a way that looks like a direct equivalence but is actually an analogy

a word or phrase used one way to mean another

a word-picture

a word that describes in pictures the various functions of the unconscious mind

a written or spoken message that describes something else

A semantic link established between two words based on similarity or relatedness of meaning; for example, the statement "My sister is a doll" is based on the similar features of the sister and the doll.

having a parallel means of describing or observing. Metaphors can be parables, stories, analogies, pictures, actions. Often used to influence the unconscious mind and bypass conscious resistance.

Use of an image to suggest a likeness or similarity with something else.

A figure of speech in which one object or concept is likened to another. For example, Fruit of the Loom is a metaphor for underwear.

A trope where one word, or series of words, is substituted for another.

A figure of speech or visual presentation in which a word, phrase or image is used in place of another to suggest a likeness between them, while in the process formulating a new concept for the imagination.

a word or phrase used to describe somebody or something in an imaginative way, in order to make ideas or descriptions more powerful or easier to understand

Figurative use of language involving comparison of one thing with another.

a figure of speech indirectly comparing two essentially dissimilar things; used to create new connections for the reader (e.g., My love is a red, red rose.)

A relationship between disparate visual or verbal sources where one kind of object, idea, or image is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. Artists use metaphor to bridge differences between seemingly dissimilar images and ideas.

Describing something by comparing it to another object or thing without using "like" or "as" (The moon was a shining jewel.)

figure of speech which directly compares two unlike things; "like" or "as" is not used in the comparison

one thing pictured as if it were something else, suggesting a likeness or analogy

A figure of speech in which one thing is imaginatively identified with another (compare with "simile" below) in order to suggest an analogy or comparison between the two things. One of these two things is the idea being expressed (also called the tenor), and the other is the image used to convey the idea (also called the vehicle). The image acts as a metaphor for the idea; sometimes the image will then become a symbol for the idea (see "symbol" below). In this example, a stage magician's magic trick (the image) acts as a metaphor for time (the idea): Time is a trick, a sleight of hand, a vast illusion in which figures come and go as if by magic. (W-pI.158.4:1)

The comparison of two unlike things in which no words of comparison are used. (She is a walking encyclopedia.)

Like a simile, a metaphor is a figure of speech that seeks to relate a concept by using a related concept. Example:“The water in the lake was transparent glass.

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used in place of a more literal description. For example, rather than saying somebody is happy, one might say that person is "on cloud nine" or "walking on air."

a comparison of two unlike things without using like or as to describe them

When something stands for something else; like the trash can representing the delete function. An analogy that helps users navigate or manipulate the content of a Web site.

(Gk. meta 'over' + pherein 'to bear'; Áô³ë): The comparison of one thing to another, treating something as if it were something else; a metaphor can be plain, implied, or dead.

a comparison of two dissimilar things without using the terms “like” or “as.” For example: My love is a red rose.

a figure a speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another by way of suggesting a likeness or analogy between them. The Greek route for the word means to "carry over" or "to transfer". So, one idea or object is linked to another via the implication or suggestion that the two are related or connected in some way. A common understanding for a metaphor is that it is storytelling, but the key word above is "suggestion". That is to say that a story by itself is just a story, which may or may not be entertaining. For the story to be therapeutic or educational in some way, the teller must imply indirectly or directly that there is something of significance in it. This implication will trigger an inner search for unique significance. For many people the mere telling of a story is sufficient to start an inner search because of the general cultural expectancy that stories have a point or meaning to them.

Comparing two different things without using the words like or as.

A figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in "Cowboys are modern-day knights."

A figure of speech - a metaphor calls one thing by the name of another because of some imagined likeness. For example: "He is a fox."; means he is crafty and clever.

A metaphor is a comparison that doesn't use the words "like" or "as." Metaphor works best when the two things being compared are not apparently similar at all. This way we are led to seeing one thing in a surprisingly different way, not the way we usually see it.

Stories, parables and analogies.

A comparison between two unlike things with the intent of giving added meaning to one of them. Metaphor is one of the most important forms of figurative language. Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not use a connective word such as like, as, than, or resembles to state a comparison.

The comparison of two unlike things to one another for figurative effect.

a figure of speech in which one thing is described in terms of another

A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more descriptive word for the more common or usual word that would be expected. Some examples of metaphors: the world's a stage, he was a lion in battle, drowning in debt, and a sea of troubles.

A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object. Metaphors suggest the essence of the first object by identifying it with certain qualities of the second object. An example is "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east, and Juliet is the sun" in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Here, Juliet, the first object, is identified with qualities of the second object, the sun. (Compare with Simile.)

A comparison of two things that does not use the words like or as. For example, "love is a rose."

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically different but have something in common. Unlike a simile, a metaphor does not contain the words like or as. See Figurative language, Figure of speech, Simile

figure of speech in which a comparison or resemblance is implied between two entities

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)

the direct substitution of a word or phrase for an object or concept in order to suggest comparison with another object or concept. Example: Jason is a tiger on the field.

A stated comparison of two things that have some quality in common not using the words like or as

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making a comparison, as in "She is an angel on the platform".

A direct comparison in which an unknown item is understood by directly comparing it to a known item. example- " Time is but a stream that I go aífishing in." Henry David Thoreau "It is a government of wolves over sheep." Thomas Jefferson "That was a dismal revelation for me; for my memory was never loaded with anything but blank cartridges." Mark Twain "Mutual fear is the principle link in the chain of mutual love." Thomas Paine "A journey is a person in itself, no two are alike." John Steinbeck Travels with Charly "M. Torre said that his life was a house of glass, anyone was welcome to look inside." Maris Gallant "Across the Bridge" "Returning, he looked at me sharply, his withered face an animated walnut with shrewd, reddish eyes." Ralph Ellison The Invisible Man

a figure of speech that implies or states a comparison between two unlike things which are similar in some way. Unlike similes, metaphors do not use "like" or "as." Example: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player. / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more.

This is a figure of speech (often in the form of a story, but not necessarily) that is used to refer to something without being literal about it. A metaphor suggests similarity to something else without being explicit and it causes in the person listening to the metaphor a substitution of one symbolic representation for another.

Similar to a simile in that a metaphor compares two things. A simile says one thing is like another, the metaphor strengthens the comparison, e.g

A figure of speech in which two unlike objects are compared by identification or by the substitution of one for the other; without asserting a comparison. The TENOR is the subject that the metaphor is applied to while the VEHICLE is the metaphorical term itself. Here are a two types of metaphors: 1. DEAD METAPHOR A metaphor that has been used so long and has become so common that we have ceased to be aware of the discrepancy between the vehicle and tenor. 2. MIXED METAPHOR A metaphor that combines two or more diverse metaphoric vehicles.

A comparison of two different things which states that the two are actually the same thing, often through a form of the verb "to be." The metaphor "Black Poets / Are / The Trumpets of Black Warriors," for example, is used by Etheridge Knight in his poem For Black Poets Who Think of Suicide.

A comparison between two objects with the intent of giving clearer meaning to one of them. Often forms of the "to be" verb are used, such as "is" or "was", to make the comparison.

is an implied comparison that brings together two dissimilar objects, persons, or ideas. Unlike a simile, which uses the words like or as metaphor directly identifies an obscure or difficult subject with another that is easier to understand. In Maureen Littlejohn's "You Are a Contract Painkiller," for example, the author uses the image of a contract killer to describe the medication ASA. See also T.C. Boyle's "Greasy Lake": He was a stunt man and this was Hollywood, he was a big grimacing toothy balloon and I was a man with a straight pin." Mood

used to provide learning directly to the Unconscious mind, or to offer suggestions and solutions conversationally, Metaphor uses the description of a process, or series of events, designed to reproduce the patterns found in a real situation, with alternative content. Includes allegory and simile.

A figure of speech in which one object is spoken of as if it were another.

A direct comparison saying something is actually something else. The comparison is figurative and not literal, meaning it is simply intended to build up an image in the mind. Metaphors are very effective and used frequently in fictional texts. The audience is provided with a very accurate visualisation of an abstract or physical thing they may never have encountered.

An idea or image that stands for something else.

invokes a comparison between two things: one is usually the subject at hand, and the other is something associated with it. The comparison is not stated directly but implied (no use of ‘like' or ‘as'. The purpose of the association is to use some qualities of the distant 'something' to illuminate and unsuspected quality of the subject at hand. There are several varieties of metaphor like: noun metaphor, verb metaphor, implied metaphor, extended metaphor, and prepositional metaphor. Example: In this metaphor, Macduff compares courage to a "mortal sword." This is important because it portrays Macduff's willingness to fight for his country. "Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell: Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace…"

a figure of speech where comparison is used between two seemingly unlike things without using like or as.

a comparison of two things that seemingly have nothing in common. Metaphors do not use like or as. Simile--also a comparison of two unlike things, but uses the words like or as.

Use of language to understand and experience one kind of thing in terms of another.

A figure of speech in which two (or more) dissimilar things are being compared. Comes from a Greek word meaning to "transfer" or to "bear or convey change." (the prefix "meta-" deals with change, as in Sylvia Plath's "The air is a mill of hooks" (from her poem "Mystic").

One thing conceived as representing a thing ordinarily designates one things is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison. Close

An implied comparison between two things that are seemingly different.

an implied comparison of two apparently dissimilar things

a comparison but this time one thing becomes another in every sense, except the literal. There is no "like" or "as" acting as links. e.g. The man was a mountain. The wind was a knife, cutting through outer garments to attack the defenceless body.

language that stresses a relationship between two things, giving one thing the qualities of the other (basically - a 'stronger' similie, not using 'like' or 'as')

a figure of speech whereby one thing or idea is represented by implicit comparison with another. It is distinct from simile in making a more compressed and implicit association between the things or ideas, and from metonymy in that there be no prior association between them.

saying that one thing is another thing, e.g. Peter is a poet. Unlike 'simile' where you say that one thing is like another thing, e.g. Peter speaks like a poet.

An imaginative comparison between two actions/objects etc which is not literally applicable. An example of metaphor occurs in In Memory of W.B.Yeats by W.H.Auden:'The provinces of his body revolted, The squares of his mind were empty,' Obviously Yeats' body does not have provinces, nor does his mind have squares but the comparison helps to bring the poem to life. Metaphor is similar to simile but omits words such as 'like' or 'as'. Some poems feature an extended metaphor e.g. Crossing the Bar by Tennyson. I.A. Richards coined the terms 'tenor' and 'vehicle' to distinguish the 2 parts of a metaphor. The 'tenor' is an idea with which a second idea (the vehicle) is identified. In Macbeth's famous soliloquy there is the line: 'life's but a walking shadow' - where 'life' is the 'tenor' and 'walking shadow' is the 'vehicle'. See also dead metaphor and mixed metaphor.

A direct comparison in which an unknown item is understood by directly comparing it to a known item; such as, The ship was a "toy" on the stormy sea. Often contains the word "was" or "is".

Figurative language in which a term is transferred from the object it customarily designates to describe a comparable object or event.

Describing something by comparing it to another object or thing without using "like" or "as." "My brain is mushy oatmeal" and "her eyes are lakes of crystal clear liquid" are both metaphors, albeit bad ones.

In language, a metaphor (from the Greek: metapherin rhetorical trope) is defined as a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects that typically uses "is a" to join the first subjects. A metaphor is commonly confused with a simile which compares two subjects using "like" or "as". An example of a simile: "He was as sly as a rabbit."

a term from one field that is used in another, often to illuminate the familiar in an unfamiliar way

a way of explaining something that we've experienced in a set of terms, a different set of terms

a way to communicate your message to any given audience in an instant

a way to explain to users of a program how to use its interface

Design often uses metaphor to transfer the meaning of something known to a concept that cannot be explained in its own terms because it does not yet have full presence or existence.

an iconic sign characterized by similarity to its object

a pattern equating two seemingly unlike objects