metaphor

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.

L.A. literature: In a durably famous metaphor for Southern California, “The Crying of Lot 49’s” heroine, Oedipa, compares the sight of a distant sprawling suburb to a transistor radio’s printed circuit board.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

But the metaphor runs deeper than a single motion.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

If a black swan is a metaphor for rare, unpredictable market events, then it’s only the energy market that is seeing black-swan style price dynamics, they say.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

The penultimate track, “Paint by Numbers,” an acoustic ballad with a pretty melody, is a rare aesthetic change-up on the record, but its titular metaphor is ultimately deflating.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

But he’s not nodding his head or pushing my hair behind my ear and his grandmother’s ring is sitting on Mother’s velvet sofa like some ridiculous metaphor.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett