Figurative Language Definitions/Examples/Pictures

Terms	Definitions
figurative language	language used by writers to produce images in readers' minds and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways
simile	a comparison of two things using like or as
metaphor	a direct comparison of two different things
hyperbole	extreme exaggeration
alliteration	repetition of initial consonant sounds
personification	a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
idiom	an expression having a special meaning different from the usual meanings of the words (example "up the creek without a paddle" means a situation involving trouble)
onomatopoeia	the use of words that sound like what they mean, such as "hiss," "buzz," "slam," and "boom"
hyperbole	The lottery winner's grin stretched from New York City to Los Angeles.
personification	Even diamonds are jealous of your beauty.
idiom	After kicking a goal Tony felt on top of the world.
simile	The snow covered hills in the distance were like welcoming pillows to the returning mountain climbers.
metaphor	As she dreamed about winning her eyes became stars twinkling with the possibilities.
personification	The storm stared me down to my core with it's beady eyes.
idiom	We need a home run to win; keep your finger's crossed.
simile	The fog curled over the tombstones like locks of hair.
metaphor	Our lives are grapes, bitter and sweet.
simile	Track coaches look for runners who sprint as fast as cheetahs.
alliteration	Spellbinding stories spin the imagination of listeners.
personification	The rose stretched her arms out and yawned after a long winter's nap.
personification	The climbing rope laughed at my weak efforts but I just laughed along.
onomatopoeia	The thump, boom, bang of my sister hitting tennis balls against our garage door was very irritating.
hyperbole	Many Americans have never-ending bottomless pits on Thanksgiving.
hyperbole	The lunch line reached from the beginning to the end of the Great Wall of China.
metaphor	My binder is an overflowing sea of papers.