- figure of speech
- figure of speechis any of several recognized linguistic devices used to make language lively or more colourful, such as metaphor and simile.
Modern English usage. 2014.
figure of speech
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figure of speech — Figure Fig ure (f[i^]g [ u]r; 135), n. [F., figure, L. figura; akin to fingere to form, shape, feign. See {Feign}.] 1. The form of anything; shape; outline; appearance. [1913 Webster] Flowers have all exquisite figures. Bacon. [1913 Webster] 2.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
figure of speech — index phrase Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
figure of speech — n a word or expression that is used in a different way from the normal meaning, to give you a picture in your mind … Dictionary of contemporary English
figure of speech — noun count an expression in which the words are used FIGURATIVELY, not in their normal LITERAL meaning … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
figure of speech — [n] communication that is not meant literally; stylistic device adumbration, allegory, alliteration, allusion, analogue, anaphora, anticlimax, antistrophe, antithesis, aposiopesis, apostrophe, asyndeton, bathos, comparison, conceit, echoism,… … New thesaurus
figure of speech — ► NOUN ▪ a word or phrase used in a non literal sense for rhetorical or vivid effect … English terms dictionary
figure of speech — n. 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 … English World dictionary
Figure of speech — A figure of speech, sometimes termed a rhetoric, or locution, is a word or phrase that departs from straightforward, literal language. Figures of speech are often used and crafted for emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. However,… … Wikipedia
figure of speech — noun language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense (Freq. 1) • Syn: ↑trope, ↑figure, ↑image • Derivationally related forms: ↑tropical (for: ↑trope) … Useful english dictionary
figure of speech — figures of speech N COUNT A figure of speech is an expression or word that is used with a metaphorical rather than a literal meaning. Of course I m not. It was just a figure of speech … English dictionary
