simile
noun
sim·i·le
| \ ˈsi-mə-(ˌ)lē
\
\
Definition of simile
: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as (as in cheeks like roses) — compare metaphor
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Examples of simile in a Sentence
But Dickens finds the unexpected detail, the vivid simile. Think of Joe Gargery in Great Expectations, "with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites." Or, in David Copperfield, Dora's cousin "in the Life-Guards, with such long legs that he looked like the afternoon shadow of somebody else."
— James Wood, New Republic, 14 Dec. 1998
After the internship year, doctors assume greater responsibility for directing patient care. Dr. Shockcor at West Virginia offered a homely simile: "It's like working in a factory, putting doors on cars. I'm now responsible that the doors get put on right, whereas as an intern I had to make sure I had a door in my hands and didn't miss a car going by."
— Michael Harwood, New York Times Magazine, 3 June1984
“She's as fierce as a tiger” is a simile, but “She's a tiger when she's angry” is a metaphor.
What do you think of the author's use of simile?
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Recent Examples on the Web
Every facsimile has a simile hidden in it somewhere. — Tom Carson, Los Angeles Times, "Woodstock glorified them. Tarantino barbecued them. In 2019, whither the hippie?," 15 Aug. 2019 Stoppard’s libretto is poetic but linear, full of juicy similes and winding sentences. — Zoë Madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Putting the pieces together in posthumous premiere of André Previn’s ‘Penelope’," 25 July 2019 In a brilliant short essay, Lydia Kiesling solves this problem by piling up metaphors and similes. — Sam Anderson, New York Times, "New Sentences: From Lydia Kiesling’s ‘What Does Being Pregnant Feel Like?’," 25 May 2018 Her class dissects song lyrics from Bruno Mars to detect and decipher hyperboles and similes. — Jonece Starr Dunigan, AL.com, "Fairfield teacher uses reading to stop school-to-prison pipeline," 27 Apr. 2018 Basketball is probably the best simile with all the back and forth, fouls, shots taken, missed and hit. — Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, "What real patriotism looks like," 4 Apr. 2018 That was one of many sayings that kind of puzzled me in childhood, even when a picture accompanied the simile or comparison. — Maria Shine Stewart, cleveland.com, "Whether lion or lamb, March heads toward spring: Sun Messages," 2 Mar. 2018 Last night, millions settled in to watch Mikaela Shiffrin’s Pyeongchang Olympics debut only to have their hopes blown away like a loose snowflake on a dandelion, which is a striking simile in both its poetry and its appropriateness. — Kelly Conaboy, The Cut, "Stupid Wind Is Ruining the Olympics," 14 Feb. 2018 Social media was not full of snarky similes and comparisons to cartoon characters. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, "The Golden Globes’ 500 Shades of Black: Did It Work?," 8 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'simile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for simile
simile
noun
English Language Learners Definition of simile
grammar
: a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar
See the full definition for simile in the English Language Learners Dictionary
simile
noun
sim·i·le
| \ ˈsi-mə-ˌlē
\
\
Kids Definition of simile
: a figure of speech comparing two unlike things using like or as
“Their cheeks are like roses” is a simile. “Their cheeks are roses” is a metaphor.
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