figure of speech

[fig-yer uhv speech] / ˈfɪg yər əv ˈspitʃ /

NOUN

non-literal communication

Synonyms

WEAK

adumbration allegory alliteration allusion analogue analogy anaphora anticlimax antistrophe antithesis aposiopesis apostrophe asyndeton bathos comparison conceit device echoism ellipsis euphemism euphuism exaggeration expression flourish flower hyperbole image imagery irony litotes malapropism manner of speaking metaphor metonymy onomatopoeia ornament oxymoron parable paradox parallel personification proteron rhetoric sarcasm satire simile stylistic device synecdoche trope tropology turn of phrase understatement way of speaking

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This wording, like going from minister of defense to minister of war — let’s hope it’s just a figure of speech,” he recently said in Italian.

From Salon

In baseball parlance, that phrase is typically a figure of speech.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s certainly more than a figure of speech.

From Los Angeles Times

“That’s a figure of speech. The purse is the prize money. His winnings.”

From Literature

The term “deafening silence” is even a common figure of speech.

From Scientific American

figure of speech

Example Sentences

Related Words