simile
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++sim·i·le /ˈsɪməli/ ●○○ noun [countable, uncountable]AL an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words ‘as’ or ‘like’, for example ‘as white as snow’ 明喻，直喻 → metaphor► see thesaurus at language
Examples from the Corpus
simile• A simile is introduced by a word such as like, as or such.• Think of the torturous metaphors and similes that the readers would be spared.• Regardless of which you use, metaphors and similes create better documents.• They are expressed in similes, metaphors and stories.• This is the metaphor gone beyond hyperbole into simile.• The poetry of the first four volumes depends heavily on the simile to set the mood of the poem.Origin simile (1300-1400) Latin similis; → SIMILARsim·i·le nounChineseSyllable
something comparing an expression by that it Corpus describes
simile
sim‧i‧le /ˈsɪməli, ˈsɪmɪli/
noun [uncountable and countable] an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words ‘as’ or ‘like’, for example ‘as white as snow’ ⇨ metaphor
■ techniques used in language
▪metaphor a way of describing something by referring to it as something different and suggesting that it has similar qualities to that thing: The beehive is a metaphor for human society.
▪simile an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words as or like, for example ‘as white as snow’: The poet uses the simile ‘soft like clay’.
▪irony the use of words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing: ‘I’m so happy to hear that,’ he said, with more than a trace of irony in his voice.
▪bathos a sudden change from a subject that is beautiful, moral, or serious to something that is ordinary, silly, or not important: The play is too sentimental and full of bathos.
▪hyperbole a way of describing something by saying that it is much bigger, smaller, worse etc than it actually is – used especially to excite people’s feelings: In his speeches, he used a lot of hyperbole. | journalistic hyperbole
▪alliteration the use of several words together that all begin with the same sound, in order to make a special effect, especially in poetry: the alliteration of the ‘s’ sound in ‘sweet birds sang softly’
▪imagery the use of words to describe ideas or actions in a way that makes the reader connect the ideas with pictures in their mind: the use of water imagery in Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ | She uses the imagery of a bird’s song to represent eternal hope.
▪rhetorical question a question that you ask as a way of making a statement, without expecting an answer: When he said ‘how can these attitudes still exist in a civilized society?’, he was asking a rhetorical question.
sim‧i‧le /ˈsɪməli, ˈsɪmɪli/
noun [uncountable and countable] an expression that describes something by comparing it with something else, using the words ‘as’ or ‘like’, for example ‘as white as snow’ ⇨ metaphor| THESAURUS |
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