English
What is a metaphor?
Quick answer
A metaphor describes something by saying it is something else, without using like or as, such as The classroom was a zoo or Time is a thief.
In one sentence
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing by saying it is something else, to show a quality they share.
Explained
When a teacher says This classroom is a zoo!, nobody expects to find giraffes. The meaning is that the room is wild and noisy, like a zoo. That is a metaphor. It is figurative (a picture in words), not literal (exactly true).
Metaphors are bolder than similes. A simile hedges: Her smile was like sunshine. A metaphor commits: Her smile was sunshine. Both compare, but the metaphor fuses the two things together.
To understand a metaphor, ask: What do these two things have in common?
- Time is a thief. → Time takes things from us without asking.
- The wave was a wall of water. → It was tall, solid-looking and frightening.
- She has a heart of gold. → She is kind and generous.
- The stars were diamonds. → They sparkled and were precious.
Working out a metaphor is a kind of inference: the writer gives a clue and the reader works out the meaning.
Writers sometimes keep one metaphor going for a whole paragraph or poem. That is an extended metaphor: a poem might describe a city as a beast, with streets for veins and traffic for a growling stomach.
Everyday English is full of metaphors we hardly notice: a bright idea, a cold welcome, a sea of faces, I'm drowning in homework. Many idioms began as metaphors.
mountain
star
wave
Examples
- The playground was a battlefield at lunchtime.
- Dad was a bear this morning before his coffee.
- The road was a ribbon of moonlight.
- My little sister is a whirlwind.
- Hope is a candle in the dark.
Common mistakes
- Reading them literally. Look for the shared quality instead.
- Mixing two metaphors: Let's not rock the boat while we're skating on thin ice. Keep one picture at a time.
- Calling a simile a metaphor. If there is like or as doing the comparing, it is a simile.
Quick quiz
Metaphors
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Which sentence is a metaphor?
Practise it
Try it
For grown-ups
Related topics
Similes
A simile compares one thing to another using like or as, such as as brave as a lion or her eyes shone like stars.
Personification
Personification gives human qualities or actions to things that are not human, like The wind howled or The sun smiled down on us.
Inference
Inference means working out something the writer has not said directly, using clues in the text plus what you already know. It is often called reading between the lines.
Alliteration
Alliteration is when several words close together start with the same sound, like six silly snakes or big brown bear. It makes writing catchy and memorable.
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, telling you what kind, which one or how many, like a huge elephant, a sour lemon or three red balloons.
Adverbs
An adverb gives more information about a verb, adjective or another adverb, telling how, when, where or how often, like slowly, tomorrow, outside or always.