figurative expression
Metaphor compares two different things in a figurative sense. Unlike in a simile (A is like B.), “like” is not used in metaphor (A is B.).
Example:
- Truths are first clouds, then rain, then harvest and food. (Henry Ward Beecher)
- Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations. (2)
see also: → Simile, → Metonymy, → Allusion