figure of speech

[ fig-yeruhv speech ]
See synonyms for figure of speech on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural fig·ures of speech.Rhetoric.
  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).

Origin of figure of speech

1
First recorded in 1815–25

Words Nearby figure of speech

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British Dictionary definitions for figure of speech

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

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