dead metaphor

Examples of dead metaphor in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web Many of our emotion terms are references to states of the body—we’re downcast, bent out of shape, head over heels, shaken up, down in the mouth—which have slowly rigidified into dead metaphor. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022 This shift reminds us that dead metaphors aren’t always terminally dead. Rob Nixon, Smithsonian, 23 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead metaphor
Noun
  • As Jamie divulges the details of the enterprise, including the special code words staff must use in the presence of The Butcher, Cooper gets increasingly nervous.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Kingsley suggests having a code word with your friends and family to verify their identity.
    Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 4 June 2024
Noun
  • The media has deployed every euphemism imaginable to describe the former president’s public usage of bad words like ****, **** and ****.
    Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
  • But the rest has been, in the British political euphemism of the moment, missteps.
    Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • The depth chart, to pull up a sports analogy, is quite small.
    James Powel, USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2024
  • This sports analogy holds true in business and leadership today.
    HEC Paris Insights, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Sintering struck me as a fine metaphor for our trip, which was already strengthening and consolidating our newly smaller family.
    Sarah Manguso, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2024
  • The fear of the djinn becomes a metaphor for the larger cultural and political restrictions that Shideh faces as a woman in post-revolutionary Iran.
    Travis Bean, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Later, when asked about his evolution as a coach, Harbaugh described himself as open to change and used a mall-entrance simile to make his point.
    Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2024
  • As the simile suggests, the pen could be used as a weapon, producing militant verses that would advance the nationalist cause.
    Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near dead metaphor

Cite this Entry

“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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