/ ˈmetəfə(r); NAmE / noun
[ C , U ] a word or phrase used to describe sb/sth else, in a way that is different from its normal use, in order to show that the two things have the same qualities and to make the description more powerful, for example She has a heart of stone ; the use of such words and phrases :
a game of football used as a metaphor for the competitive struggle of life
The writer's striking use of metaphor.
—compare simile
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent.: from French métaphore , via Latin from Greek metaphora , from metapherein to transfer.