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What Is a Metaphor? Types & 10 Examples
Grammar Rules
8 min read
What Is a Metaphor? Types & 10 Examples
Don't miss out on metaphors that add depth and flair to your writing! Discover their meanings, linguistic power, effective uses and tips for creating your own!
Written by
Adam J.
Published on
Feb 18, 2025
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Found yourself unable to answer the question, “What is a metaphor?” Let’s define it. Metaphors are figures of speech that draw parallels between two or more concepts or objects to demonstrate their similar characteristics.
A metaphor asserts a direct or indirect comparison but defies literal interpretation. When someone says, “You’re a firecracker!” you don’t take it as literally true.
As a figurative language tool, a metaphor can add color to any piece of writing. Besides poetry and literature, you can use a metaphor when writing academic papers and even having everyday conversations.
If you want to add metaphors to your toolkit, we at StudyPro have prepared this guide for you. Below, we’ll break down:
- When and why metaphors are used;
- 10 examples of metaphors;
- 4 types of metaphors;
- How metaphors compare to similes, analogies, and allegories;
- How to use metaphors in academic writing.
When We Use Metaphors & Why
As figures of speech, metaphors are used across different contexts:
✔️ Everyday language. You’re probably using phrases like “this place is a zoo,” “hit the sack,” and “couch potato” just to spice up your everyday speech. These idioms are metaphors, and they help you make speech more vivid and expressive.
✔️ Business and marketing. In this field, metaphors typically help brands communicate their identities or convince potential customers to buy their products or use their services. For example, a vet office can promote itself as a “superhero” for pet owners.
✔️ Science and technology. Yes, metaphors also exist in academic writing; they help explain abstract ideas or flesh out hypotheses. For example, thought experiments rely on metaphors to illustrate a point (e.g., Judith Jarvis Thomson’s Violinist thought experiment).
Metaphors are culture-specific. One metaphor may be common among Australians but will make Americans utterly confused. For example, do you know what it means to “throw a shrimp on the barbie”?
We use metaphors for a variety of purposes, including:
→ Creating a more vivid imagery;
→ Evoking stronger emotions;
→ Making abstract ideas more concrete and relatable;
→ Shaping decision-making.
Metaphors are potent literary devices because they create a link between new concepts and things we already know, and they transpose characteristics of one thing to another.
That’s why metaphors can inspire or define whole movements. Just consider Donald Trump’s favorite slogan during his 2016 election campaign, “Drain the Swamp.”
10 Examples of Metaphors
If a metaphor definition alone isn’t enough for you to grasp its essence, here are ten metaphor examples to show them in action:
- Love is a battlefield.
- All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
- Her voice was silk.
- You’re a peach!
- He’s a walking dictionary.
- The internet is a vast ocean of information, and it’s easy to get lost in it.
- They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
- Life is a tapestry of individual experiences.
- Stars are diamonds in the sky.
- . Life is a playground, and you choose how to play.
Components & Different Types of Metaphors
Let's explain the 4 different types of metaphor:
With the metaphor definition and examples out of the way, let’s break down the key components of any metaphor:
☑️ Tenor: The idea or thing that the metaphor describes, i.e., its subject.
☑️ Vehicle: The idea or thing used to describe the tenor.
☑️ Ground: The shared characteristic between the tenor and the vehicle.
For example, in the metaphor “All the world’s a stage,” all the world is the tenor, and stage is the vehicle. The ground is that life is similar to a play, while both the world and the stage are places where the events unfold.
There are four common types of metaphors:
→ Implied metaphor: Metaphor without an explicit vehicle mention;
→ Extended metaphor: Metaphor spanning several sentences or lines;
→ Dead metaphor: Overused metaphor that lost its potency; cliché;
→ Mixed metaphor: Combination of two unrelated metaphors.
Let’s explore each of these types of metaphors in more detail.
Implied Metaphor
An implied metaphor is an indirect comparison to an idea or object without the phrase literally denoting the metaphor’s vehicle. Instead of saying, “X is Y,” you imply that X is like Y because it shows similar characteristics.
Let’s compare implied metaphor examples to regular metaphors:
Explicit metaphor | Knowledge is a weapon, so you should use it carefully |
Implied metaphor | Wield knowledge carefully and strike with precision, or it will cause more damage than necessary. |
In both examples, we compare knowledge to a weapon. But in the first sentence, we explicitly state so, while the second one only alludes to the idea of a weapon.
Implied or not, any metaphor has to be presented without a single typo or grammar error. Take our grammar checker for a test drive—and quickly weed out all mistakes from your writing.
Extended Metaphor
Also known as a sustained metaphor, an extended metaphor spans multiple sentences, paragraphs, or even whole works. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a good extended metaphor example.
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief. William Shakespeare | I like to see it lap the Miles – And lick the Valleys up – And stop to feed itself at Tanks – And then – prodigious step Emily Dickinson |
In the first example, Romeo compares Juliet to the sun in these four lines. In the second one, Emily Dickinson uses the iron horse as a metaphor for a train.
Dead Metaphor
Dead metaphors are metaphors that have been used so often and for so long that they have lost their power to invoke a certain image or emotion. Some scholars also call them clichés.
“Kicking the bucket” is a good dead metaphor example here. Here are three more dead metaphors, along with their original meanings:
Leg of a trip | Originally referred to the run that a ship made on a single tack |
Time is running out | Originally referred to the sand running out in an hourglass |
Broken record | Originally referred to records getting stuck repeating the same second over and over |
Mixed Metaphors
A mixed metaphor combines two unrelated metaphors, usually for a comic effect. As the imagery of the two base metaphors clashes in a mixed metaphor, it takes the reader by surprise.
Here are a couple of mixed metaphors examples to illustrate the point:
Time to get all our ducks on the same page. | Combines two common idioms, “get our ducks in a row” and “get on the same page” |
This is hardly rocket surgery. | Combines “rocket science” and “brain surgery” to signify something overly complex and difficult |
Metaphor vs Simile: Key Differences
Metaphor | Simile |
|---|---|
She’s a shining star. | She shines like a star. |
My love is a red rose. | My love is like a red rose. |
Her opinions were the North Star for her children. | Her opinions were like the North Star for her children. |
Similes typically don’t have as powerful an impact as metaphors because of their use of comparison words.
Struggle with getting commonly misspelled words right? Check out our guide to put an end to those mistakes.
Analogy vs Metaphor: Key Differences
Both analogies and metaphors compare two things or ideas. However, they tend to have different aims and forms.
Analogies are longer and break down how the two things or ideas are alike in detail. They’re usually meant to explain how something functions by drawing parallels with another object or concept.
That’s why a metaphorical comparison is more common in everyday language, while analogies are common figures of speech in science and education.
Here’s a metaphor vs analogy comparison to help you distinguish between the two:
Metaphor | Analogy |
|---|---|
She’s an early bird. | Like an early bird, she rises before the sun rises over the horizon. Her energy levels peak before lunch, and she goes to bed at 9 pm. |
In these examples, the analogy is longer and offers a detailed direct comparison between a person and an early bird.
Allegory vs Metaphor: Key Differences
Allegories are considered extended metaphors. They’re a narrative or visual representation device that aims to convey a hidden meaning through symbolism. This meaning is typically complex and multi-layered. Metaphors, in turn, are succinct comparisons that typically span one or several sentences.
Here’s a brief metaphor vs allegory comparison table:
Metaphor | Allegory |
|---|---|
Philosophers are prisoners freed from a cave who can see the world as it is, as opposed to its shadows. | Plato’s Allegory of the Cave |
Allegories are also meant to teach the reader a moral lesson. That’s why they’re often found in religious literature. That said, many works of fiction also employ allegories, like William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Metaphors in Academic Writing: 4 Tips
While metaphors are useful in everyday life and literature, they can also be a powerful tool in academic writing. Metaphors succeed at communicating complex concepts in just a few words or phrases, often by evoking a strong image in the reader’s mind.
Metaphors can be used across disciplines. For example, you can compare a movement to a rising tide or the supply and demand equation to a balancing scale. They can help you both retain information better and make your essays more interesting to read.
Here are our tips on how to write a metaphor in your academic paper:
✔️ Develop your vocabulary
You’ll need a strong command of the language to find appropriate words and comparisons for your metaphor. To find a good comparison, explore synonyms and related concepts and jot down ideas in a notebook.
✔️ Analyze how authors use metaphors
Look for metaphors in your recommended and required readings. Once you notice one, identify what type of metaphor it is, its elements (vehicle, tenor, and ground), and its effect on the reader.
✔️Practice using metaphors in everyday life
Don’t restrict yourself to using metaphors in academic writing. Have fun with words and their meanings in everyday life—and it’ll become easier to find the right comparison when you start writing that essay.
✔️ Get inspired by creative prompts
Our favorites include “Are buildings living organisms?” for architecture students and “Compare the meaning of life to an object.” You can always generate more prompts with StudyPro’s AI writer!
In Closing
Metaphors are a potent literary device that can do more than just enrich your speech or writing. These carefully selected words can help your readers grasp the meaning of challenging concepts or convince them of your viewpoint.
If you don’t start coming up with metaphors immediately after reading this blog post, don’t worry. Thinking metaphorically is a skill, not an innate talent.
So, train yourself to draw parallels between seemingly unrelated things and objects, enrich your language and vocabulary, and draw inspiration from literature.
Frequently asked questions
A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one object or concept by comparing it to another unrelated one. It’s commonly used in literature, everyday language, education, and academic writing.
The structure of a metaphor includes the tenor, the vehicle, and the ground. Metaphors create vivid imagery and enrich your writing and speech. They also have a cognitive impact, forming people’s understanding and perception of objects or phenomena. Metaphors are culture-specific: some metaphors may be incomprehensible to a person with a different cultural background.
The most powerful metaphors suggest a link between unrelated things and are fresh and unique. To write one, you can also combine run-of-the-mill idioms into a new figure of speech; their power stems from the element of surprise.
Here are some powerful metaphors examples to inspire you:
- Love is a battlefield.
- Faith is a bridge over troubled waters.
- Knowledge is a potent weapon.
Experiment by drawing parallels between different objects or concepts to incorporate powerful metaphors in your writing.
To come up with a good new metaphor, we suggest you:
- Define metaphor subject, i.e., the tenor;
- Brainstorm the potential vehicles (you can note them down in a notebook);
- Read them out loud and revise them to polish off the comparison;
- Condense the idea into a single sentence.
To be able to come up with good metaphors:
- Expand your vocabulary;
- Analyze how published authors use metaphors;
- Practice your metaphorical skills in daily life.
Sources:
Jensen, D. (2006). Metaphors as a bridge to understanding educational and social contexts. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 36-54.
Kwan, M. (2022, October 19). Examples of Dead Metaphors and What They Mean. YourDictionary. https://www.yourdictionary.com/articles/examples-dead-metaphors
Mixed Metaphors Explained: 8 Examples of Mixed Metaphors. (2022, June 21). MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/mixed-metaphor
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025, January 25). Metaphor. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/metaphor
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