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.
Related Words
Relevance
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
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
Fight analyst Dan Hardy used an interesting simile to explain the key difference between the two title fighters in Saturday night's main event at UFC 312 as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis puts his title on the line against former champion Sean Strickland.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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
Fight analyst Dan Hardy used an interesting simile to explain the key difference between the two title fighters in Saturday night's main event at UFC 312 as middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis puts his title on the line against former champion Sean Strickland.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for simile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for simile
metaphor
Noun
-
In 1946, the organization renamed itself as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to reflect the increasingly global aspects of the organization, and in 1947, the Bulletin introduced the Doomsday Clock as a metaphor for how close civilization is to bringing about its own destruction.—
Daniel Holz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Scorpio October 23 – November 21 Certain truths are best expressed in metaphor or art at present.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Simile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/simile. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
