200 Short and Sweet Metaphor Examples

A metaphor is a word or phrase that is used to make a comparison between two things. They can be very useful, and we use them all the time in daily conversation, and we do not even realize it! Let’s look at a few examples with a list of metaphors in various situations:

Examples of Metaphors for Love

  • Love is a nutrient
  • Love is a journey
  • Love is a fluid in a container
  • Love is fire
  • Love is an economic exchange
  • Love is a natural force
  • Love is a physical force
  • Love is a captive animal
  • Love is war
  • Love is a social superior
  • Love is rapture
  • Love is a thrill ride
  • Love is a fine wine
  • Love is a garden
  • Love is a battlefield
  • Love is an experiment
  • Love is a fragile flower opening to the warmth of spring
  • Love is a lemon – either bitter or sweet

Examples of Metaphor from Famous People

  • “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
  • “Conscience is a man’s compass.” – Vincent Van Gogh
  • “Chaos is a friend of mine.” – Bob Dylan
  • All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.” – Albert Einstein

Examples of Common Metaphors

Anger bottled up inside He was a Lion on the battlefield Scapegoat
A shot across the bows High and dry Sea of bees
An endless night His eye on the Sparrow Sea of fire
Apple of my eye Home was prison Sea of ghosts
Batten down the hatches Homework is a breeze Sea of knowledge
Battle of egos House of cards Sea of love
Belling the cat Hungry ghost Sea of sadness
Belt was a snake Ideas are water Sea of smiles
Better half Ideas are wings Sea of sorrows
Birds of a feather flock together Ideas in motion Sea of umbrellas
Blanket of air Infinite crisis Sea of uncertainty
Blanket of bullets Infinite spectrum of possibilities Shades of excellence
Blanket of clouds Intimate relationship Shades of hope
Blanket of exemption Jumping the shark Shake a leg
Blanket of flowers Know the ropes Shaking the dust from the feet
Blanket of ghosts Law of the horse She felt her gorge rising
Blanket of hope Legs were wax Shipshape and Bristol fashion
Blanket of indifference Life is a journey Shiver my timbers
Blanket of insurance Life is a mere dream Shooting the messenger
Blanket of love Light of my life Shot down an idea
Blanket of roses Loose cannon Silken lies
Blanket of secrecy Love is a battlefield Simmer down!
Blanket of snow Love is a bond Slippery slope
Blanket of stars Love is a camera, full of memories Smell of death
Blow one’s trumpet Love is a fine wine Smell of fear
Boiling frog Love is a garden Smell of rain
Boiling mad Love is a growing garland Smoking gun
Broken heart Love is a journey Snake oil
Butterfly economics Love is a thrill ride Social organizations are plants
Cabin fever Love is an experiment Spherical cow
Camel’s nose Love is an ocean Stable economy
Choices are crossroads Melting pot Stable marriage problem
Close quarters Moral compass Standing on the shoulders of giants
Cloudy memory Necessity is the mother of invention Sticky wicket
Cold feet Night was falling Storm of swords
Consumed by love Night owl Strength and dignity are her clothing
Copper-bottomed Noisy neighbors Stubborn stains
Cotton candy words Noisy stomach Sweet dreams
Couch potato On your beam ends Sweet smell of success
Crop of students Panic stations Tell it to the marines
Deep dark secret Path of exile The bitter end
Disaster area Path of glory The cut of your jib
Domino effect Peace of mind The evening of one’s life
Early bird Plain sailing The sea bit my ankles
Eyes were fireflies Point of no return Their ideas are difficult to swallow
Eyes were saucers Profits fell last year Thoughts are a storm, unexpected
Flogging a dead horse Puppet government Three sheets to the wind
Food for thought Push the boat out Tiger Cub Economies
Fork in the road Rainbow of challenges Time a thief
Full to the gunwales Rainbow of flavors Turkeys voting for Christmas
Give a wide berth Rainbow of hope Walk the plank
Go by the board Rainbow of love Wave of donations
Hand over fist Raining cats and dogs Wheels of justice
Hard and fast Reality an enemy Work has dried up
He got all steamed up Rug Rats

Examples of Popular Metaphors

  • “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” – William Shakespeare
  • I am the good shepherd…and I lay down my life for the sheep.” – The Bible, John 10:14-15
  • “All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.” – Khalil Gibran
  • “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
  • “And your very flesh shall be a great poem.” – Walt Whitman
  • “Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket.” – George Orwell
  • “Dying is a wild night and a new road.” – Emily Dickinson
  • “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” – William Wordsworth