What is a metaphor?

A metaphor is used when something is explained as though it is taking the place of the subject in question, though it is an entirely different subject.

• e.g. He's buried in a sea of paperwork.

In this example, there is really no ‘sea’. There is a pile of paperwork so big that it may resemble a sea.

So, the metaphor here lies in the comparison between the huge pile of paper and it’s resemblance to a large body of water.

A metaphor is a figure of speech which describes an object or action in a way which might not be literally true but will help vividly illustrate an idea one is trying to get across. For example, the phrase 'she cried a river' doesn't literally mean this individual cried an actual river but instead, it can be taken to mean, as rivers are large bodies of water, that she cried a lot. Essentially, metaphors help to portray ideas in a more creative way by making a comparison by stating one thing is something else.

A metaphor is a figure of speech which states that one thing is another thing for the sake of comparison or symbolism. For example, "Love is a battlefield" - this metaphor is not saying that love is literally a physical place where battles take place but is using a metaphor to suggest that love can be difficult and involve fighting.

• A metaphor is a figure of speech containing an implied comparison. Metaphors are used in communication to help illustrate or explain something by comparing it to something else. Some popular sayings are metaphors; an example would be: Hope is on the horizon. Hope is an intangible thing that doesn't live along the horizon. This metaphor indicates good things are in the future.

A metaphor describes something by comparison. We hear metaphors all the time, some are very common such as 'black sheep of the family'. We know what that means, but there aren't literally any black sheep in anyone's family are there?

You might describe your friend as 'a couch potato'. I'd know what you meant, but not because I think your friend is literally a potato sitting on a sofa.

A group of words used to describe something in a more graphical interesting way. He's going through a rollercoaster of emotions.

A metaphor is an expression which describes an object or person by referring to something else, such as 'A heart of stone'.