simile

Definition of similenext
as in metaphor
grammar a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar "She's as fierce as a tiger" is a simile, but "She's a tiger when she's angry" is a metaphor.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of simile To carry the unappetizing simile further, the casserole dish in this case is about 290 acres large. — Tom Mooney, The Providence Journal, 1 Sep. 2025 Consider, for instance, the use of rhetorical figures such as metaphor or simile. — Nino Letteriello, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next. — Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025 Her father was a scientist and worked for NASA, so her work, including The Body’s Question and Life on Mars, is infused with the cosmos and space and all these metaphors and similes tied to the most mysterious places in the universe. — Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for simile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simile
metaphor
Noun
  • Kolbe’s distinctive use of language brings to life this period’s wonders and difficulties, and her maximalist approach to metaphor creates many energetic images.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The best moments on records like Redemption, Blackheart, and Second Line use her knack for grand, metaphysical metaphors to charge her singing with epic stakes.
    — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Simile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simile. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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