figure of speech

[ fig-yer uhv speech ]

noun

, Rhetoric.

, plural fig·ures 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. Compare trope ( def 1 ).

figure of speech

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of figure of speech¹

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

“That’s a figure of speech. The purse is the prize money. His winnings.”

From Literature

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