a word or phrase used to describe somebody/something else, in a way that is different from its normal use, in order to show that the two things have the same qualities and to make the description more powerful, for example She has a heart of stone; the use of such words and phrasesa game of football used as a metaphor for the competitive struggle of lifethe writer’s striking use of metaphorCollocationsLiteratureBeing a writerwrite/publish literature/poetry/fiction/a book/a story/a poem/a novel/a review/an autobiographybecome a writer/novelist/playwrightfind/have a publisher/an agenthave a new book outedit/revise/proofread a book/text/manuscriptdedicate a book/poem to…Plot, character and atmosphereconstruct/create/weave/weave something into a complex narrativeadvance/drive the plotintroduce/present the protagonist/a characterdescribe/depict/portray a character (as…)/(somebody as) a hero/villaincreate an exciting/a tense atmospherebuild/heighten the suspense/tensionevoke/capture the pathos of the situationconvey emotion/an idea/an impression/a sense of…engage the readerseize/capture/grip the (reader’s) imaginationarouse/elicit emotion/sympathy (in the reader)lack imagination/emotion/structure/rhythmLanguage, style and imageryuse/employ language/imagery/humour/(especially US English) humor/an image/a symbol/a metaphor/a deviceuse/adopt/develop a style/techniquebe rich in/be full of symbolismevoke images of…/a sense of…/a feeling of…create/achieve an effectmaintain/lighten the toneintroduce/develop an idea/a themeinspire a novel/a poet/somebody’s work/somebody’s imaginationReading and criticismread an author/somebody’s work/fiction/poetry/a text/a poem/a novel/a chapter/a passagereview a book/a novel/somebody’s workgive something/get/have/receive a good/bad reviewbe hailed (as)/be recognized as a masterpiecequote a(n) phrase/line/stanza/passage/authorprovoke/spark discussion/criticismstudy/interpret/understand a text/passagetranslate somebody’s work/a text/a passage/a novel/a poemcomparesimileWordfinderimagealliteration,euphemism,figure of speech,hyperbole,image,litotes,metaphor,metonymy,onomatopoeia,paradoxOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjectiveappropriate,apt,good,…verb + metaphoremploy,invoke,use,…metaphor + verbdescribe something,represent something,imply something,…prepositionmetaphor for,metaphor ofSeefull entrySee related entries:Linguistic devicesWord Originlate 15th cent.: from French métaphore, via Latin from Greek metaphora, from metapherein ‘to transfer’.Extra examples‘This vale of tears’ is a metaphor for the human condition.He uses the metaphor of fire to represent hatred.The ladder metaphor works in several ways.an extended metaphor for human existenceone of the central metaphors in the bookthe metaphor of life as a journeyIn the story, the game of football is used as a metaphor for the competitive struggle of life.The writer’s use of metaphor is striking.
See metaphor in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee metaphor in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
