metaphor
n. countablen. a figure of speech that describes something by calling it something else to show a hidden similarity. You use this when you say one thing is another, like 'time is money', to make a strong point.
n. a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. It creates a vivid image or clarifies a concept by drawing an implicit comparison between two unrelated things.
The writer used a metaphor to describe the stormy sea as an angry monster.
In her speech, she relied on the metaphor of a marathon to explain how long and difficult the recovery process would be.
The poem's central metaphor equates the fading light of autumn to the inevitable decline of human memory, weaving a sense of loss through every stanza.
From Middle French métaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Ancient Greek μεταφορά (metaphorá), from μεταφέρω (metaphérō, “I transfer, apply”), from μετά (metá, “with, across, after”) + φέρω (phérō, “I bear, carry”).
Countable when referring to specific figures of speech; uncountable when discussing the general literary technique.