dead metaphor

noun

Definition of dead metaphornext
as in code word

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dead metaphor The media are somewhat responsible, so apologies for beating a dead metaphor. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2026 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
  1. code word
  2. euphemism
  3. analogy
  4. metaphor
  5. simile
Noun
  • Some couples and families even choose a code word that means the conversation is pausing, Wilson says—not that the relationship is disappearing.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Daily Mail, Baldoni and Swift actually communicated after the end of his dispute with Lively, and the two now share a code word when talking about the issue.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 July 2026
Definition of code word
Noun
  • Forty-one minutes later, the CFIA issued—Orwell would appreciate the agency’s flair for euphemism—a Notice to Dispose.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of euphemism
Noun
  • Here, Altman turned to a historical analogy, comparing this moment to the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
    — Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Here’s where the 1870 analogy becomes much more tangible and useful.
    — Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of analogy
Noun
  • Drawn to the tactile and familiar qualities of paper, Teo uses playful forms and visual metaphors to transform everyday subjects and construct whimsical, imagined worlds.
    — New York Times Games, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • All of those felt like metaphors for the teenage experience that could somehow be explored in magic.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of metaphor
Noun
  • Isla’s mother, Chloe Howell, said the tween loves to crack jokes at home and came up with the funny simile herself.
    — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • An image may resonate with deeper meanings (that’s what great directors can bring about), but the compression and displacement that make the simile devastating on the page have no cinematic equivalent.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Definition of simile

Browse Nearby Words

deadly
dead metaphor
dead metaphors
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Cite this Entry

“Dead metaphor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead%20metaphor. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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