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.

But the metaphor runs deeper than a single motion.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

“I brought a cupcake — vegan vanilla. Bet it tastes pretty rancid,” Lanier said during closings, brandishing the baked good during an extended metaphor.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 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

A refined 1840 Hokusai portrait of a young samurai, painted for a male patron, bears a poem praising the boy’s loveliness with a metaphor about dew-soaked branches.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 7, 2026

Here, sweat is a metaphor for hard work, but seldom its consequence.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich