List of Similes and Metaphors

Need a list of similes and metaphors, do you? Read the following article for some of the best and most educating examples that similes and metaphors can create for you.

Figures of speech can render a piece of art with so much more appeal, don't you think? The work gains angles and dimensions, you start to look beyond the obvious and a superlative form of art begins to draw itself, to say the least. And while there are several such figures of speech that can be looked into, in this particular article we will focus on two literary devices - Similes and Metaphors. Similes and metaphors are simple to understand, and they create for some very interesting pieces of art. In fact, they are some of the simplest forms of literary techniques and can be easily identified in a text. A list of similes and metaphors will help you identify the same and you will understand what it means to have these play in your text. In this following article, we will provide you with a list of the same for easy reference and understanding. But before that, a foray into what similes and metaphors are.

What are Similes and Metaphors

Similes
A simile is a literary technique that is used to compare two concepts. These concepts might be completely different in all aspects, but when they are being compared, there is that one distinct concept that draws a similarity between them. The comparison is usually carried through with words like 'As', 'Like' and 'Than'. A characteristic style of the usage of similes is that the two objects that are being compared remain different in all matters and the reader has no doubt about the same.

Example: John's words felt like shards of glass when he spoke such hateful things.

Metaphors
Metaphors and similes have a common theme running, whereby they compare two very different concepts or concepts that are not connected in either way to each other. The difference is that metaphors do not keep the concepts at differing levels but merge them into one and thereby draw similarities, taking it into consideration that they are one.

Example: John's words were shards of glass when he spoke such hateful things.

List of Metaphors and Similes for Kids

List of Common Similes

As wise as an owl
As white as snow
As tough as old boots
As timid as a rabbit
As thin as a rake
As sure as death and taxes
As sturdy as an oak
As stubborn as a mule
As strong as an ox
As straight as an arrow
As stiff as a board
As steady as a rock
As sour as vinegar
As alike as two peas in a pod
As big as an elephant
As black as coal
As blind as a bat
As bold as brass
As brave as a lion
As bright as a button
As busy as a bee
As clear as a bell
As clean as a whistle
As clear as crystal
As cold as ice
As common as dirt
As hot as hell
As cool as a cucumber
As cunning as a fox
As dull as dishwater
As dead as the dodo
As gentle as a lamb
As free as a bird
As dead as a doornail
As different as chalk from cheese
As drunk as a lord
As easy as A.B.C.
As deaf as a post
As dry as a bone
As dry as dust
As fresh as a daisy
As flat as a pancake
As easy as apple-pie
As poor as a church mouse
As mad as a hatter
As smooth as silk
As mad as a hornet
As hungry as a wolf
As innocent as a lamb
As slow as a snail
As proud as a peacock
As light as a feather
As plain as day
As quick as a wink
As obstinate as a mule
As old as the hills
As pale as death
As slippery as an eel
As sharp as a razor
As silent as the dead

List of Metaphors

He has the heart of a lion
You are the light in my life
Life is a mere dream, a fleeting shadow on a cloudy day
His belt was a snake curling around his waist
He swam in the sea of diamonds
He has a voice of a wolf
A laugh in a sea of sadness
Her lips were butterflies
Ideas are wings
Light of their life
Her hair was bone white
Spiritual seeking is treasure hunting
Truth is food for him
Love is fire
Her positive attitude is a lighthouse for the hopeful
His plans were rock solid and so were his aims
He tried to help but his legs were rubber
He has a voice of a crow
She is a dog when she eats
It's raining men
He is the sun of my sky
Life is a mere dream, a fleeting shadow on a cloudy day
Thoughts are a storm, unexpected

When you study literature and other works of art in more detail, you'll find that the author or writer uses these forms with more subtlety, or even grandeur. The levels of comparison also get more and more sophisticated, and that is where the beauty of the text lies. Here's hoping that you've understood the concept of metaphors and similes in greater detail with the help of these examples.

By Rujuta Borkar
Published: 3/15/2011

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