figure of speech

American  

[fig-yer uhv speech] / ˈfɪg yər əv ˈspitʃ /

noun

Rhetoric.

PLURAL

figures of speech

1. any expressive use of language, as a metaphor, simile, personification, or antithesis, in which words are used in other than their literal sense, or in other than their ordinary locutions, in order to suggest a picture or image or for other special effect.

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figure of speech British  

noun

1. an expression of language, such as simile, metaphor, or personification, by which the usual or literal meaning of a word is not employed

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Etymology

Origin of figure of speech

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

In baseball parlance, that phrase is typically a figure of speech.

From Los Angeles Times

But it’s certainly more than a figure of speech.

From Los Angeles Times

“This is absolutely absurd. I believe that President Biden is aware of this. This is merely a figure of speech to support his incorrect strategy against Russia,” Mr. Putin said, according to Russian state-controlled media.

From Washington Times

The quincentennial likewise fueled critical works by Smith, such as her ongoing “I See Red” series, which embeds a pejorative term used to describe Indigenous people within a figure of speech about rage.

From Los Angeles Times

The term “deafening silence” is even a common figure of speech.

From Scientific American