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figure of speech

A figure of speech is an expression that means something different than the literal meaning of the words. (noun)

An example of a figure of speech is the saying "it's raining cats and dogs."

See figure of speech in Webster's New World College Dictionary

an expression, as a metaphor or simile, using words in a nonliteral sense or unusual manner to add vividness, beauty, etc. to what is said or written

See figure of speech in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. figures of speech

An expression that uses language in a nonliteral way, such as a metaphor or synecdoche, or in a structured or unusual way, such as anaphora or chiasmus, or that employs sounds, such as alliteration or assonance, to achieve a rhetorical effect.

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» figure of speech synonyms

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