metaphor definition and examples

Definition:
Metaphor:A figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common.

A metaphor expresses the unfamiliar (the tenor) in terms of the familiar (the vehicle). When Neil Young sings, "Love is a rose," "rose" is the vehicle for "love," the tenor. (In cognitive linguistics, the terms target and source are roughly equivalent to tenor and vehicle.) Adjective: metaphorical.

Examples of metaphors

Life is a journey, purposes are destinations, means are routes, difficulties are obstacles, counselors are guides, achievements are landmarks, choices are crossroads..

A lifetime is a day, death is sleep; a lifetime is a year, death is winter..

Life is a struggle, dying is losing a contest against an adversary..

Life is a precious possession, death is a loss..

Time is a thief..

All the world’s stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. ~ William Shakespeare

This is one of the classic metaphor examples. After reading the quote, do you wonder what is a metaphor exactly? Yes metaphor is one of the figures of speech and is similar to a simile.

Metaphor Definition
The word metaphor originates from a Greek word ‘methapherin’, which means transfer or carry over, however, the word came into the English language from the Latin word metaphoria. A metaphor belongs to the figures of speech list. In a metaphor, an implied comparison is made between two non-similar things, which actually have something important in common between them. Often it is seen that metaphors and similes are confused with each other. But it is important to remember, that a metaphor is similar to a simile. There is a comparison, which is made between things, that is not always likely or obvious. However, it is important to note that, there is no explicit use of the words such as ‘like’, ‘as’, etc., which is the most common case with similes. Yet metaphors sound more forceful and are more suggestive. You will come across a number of metaphor poems and may be you have not noticed, that it is indeed a metaphor. We will understand a metaphor better with the help of an example of metaphors.
•Her home was a prison.
When we read this example, it is very evident that there are some characteristics of a prison, which can be seen in her home. One can derive a meaning, that she was not allowed to leave her home. The other connotation of the sentence is, that she had a lot of restriction in her home and she was not allowed to actually exercise any rights or privileges. Having understood this, let’s turn our attention to a list of metaphors, but before that do read on rules of English grammar and figures of speech examples.

List of Common Metaphors
Do you think only literary stalwarts make use of metaphor sentences? You are mistaken, as a common man also makes use of metaphor, but is not aware of this fact. In this we will see some of the simple metaphor examples. Click to read on grammar & composition.
•It is raining cats and dogs.
•She is the apple of my eye.
•He has a heart of gold.
•A light in a sea of darkness.
•The noise is music to her ears.
•He swam in the sea of diamonds.
•Authority is a chair, it needs legs to stand up.
•You had better pull your socks up.
•She is drowning in the sea of love.
•Life is a mere dream, a fleeting shadow on a cloudy day.
•Life has a tendency to come back and bite you.
•He is my East and my West, my compass.
Metaphor Examples in Literature
There is a huge list of metaphor examples in literature. Here are some of them, before that you may want to read on similes and metaphors examples.
•"Between the lower east side tenements the sky is a snotty handkerchief." ~ "The Butt of Winter", Marge Piercy
•"A man may break a word with you, sir, and words are but wind." ~ "The Comedy of Errors", William Shakespeare
•"The streets were a furnace, the sun an executioner." ~ "Rosa", Cynthia Ozick
•"But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill." ~ "The Lonely Hunter", William Sharp
•"Love is an alchemist that can transmute poison into food--and a spaniel that prefers even punishment from one hand to caresses from another." ~ "Lacon", Charles Colton
•"Men's words are bullets, that their enemies take up and make use of against them." ~ "Maxims", George Savile
•"The rain came down in long knitting needles." ~ "National Velvet", Enid Bagnold
•"Language is a road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going." ~ Rita Mae Brown
•"Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food." ~ "Keystones of Thought", Austin O'Malley
•"Love is the wild card of existence." ~ "In Her Day", Rita Mae Brown
•"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations." ~ "Face Toward the Spring", 1956, Faith Baldwin
Metaphor Examples for Children
It sometimes is difficult for a child to understand metaphors, but with the help of these metaphor examples for kids, I am sure you will find it easier to help your child.
•A blanket of snow covered the streets.
•Her bubbly personality cheered him up.
•You light up my life with your presence.
•According to her, only shades of gray make up life.
•A colorful remark was not half bad either.
•His deep dark secret was revealed to everyone.
•To give her a surprise visit is a brilliant idea!
•My memory is a little cloudy about that incident.
•United States of America is a shining example of democracy.
•The stench of failure should not depress you.
•She could not digest the news when she heard it.
Extended Metaphor Examples
Extended metaphors extend beyond one sentence and often can also go beyond that. Here are two of the extended metaphor examples.
•"The winds were ocean waves, thrashing against the trees limbs. The gales remained thereafter, only ceasing when the sun went down. Their waves clashed brilliantly with the water beneath, bringing foam and dying leaves to the shore."
•"The teacher descended upon the exams, sank his talons into their pages, ripped the answers to shreds, and then, perching in his chair, began to digest."
Mixed Metaphor Examples
Mixed metaphor have numerous, but totally unrelated comparisons. They should not be confused with extended metaphors, where several comparisons are used, but they are related to one another in some way or the other. Read on metaphor list.
•"Clinton stepped up to the plate and grabbed the bull by the horn."
•"That wet blanket is a loose cannon."
•"The movie struck a spark that massaged the audience's conscience."
These are just few of the metaphor examples. Now that you have understood what is a metaphor exactly, you will be able to come up with a list of your own metaphor examples, but take care metaphors and similes are not interchanged with each other.

thank you

thanks

welcome