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# simile

noun (a simile, similes)

«simile» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A simile is a way of describing something by comparing it to something else using «like» or «as»: «as brave as a lion», «she ran like the wind». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#m1)
2. Similes help the reader picture something more clearly or feel it more strongly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#m2)

### In the lessons

In English lessons pupils find and write similes in descriptive writing and poetry, and compare them with metaphors. Common similes: «as cold as ice», «as busy as a bee», «as light as a feather», «like a fish out of water». In stories a good fresh simile is better than a tired one.

### Examples

- «As white as snow» is a simile. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x1)
- «He ate like a horse» is a simile using «like». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x2)
- Write a simile to describe the storm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x3)
- «Her eyes shone like stars» is a simile. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x4)
- A simile uses «like» or «as»; a metaphor does not. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x5)
- «The classroom was as quiet as a mouse» is a simile. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x6)
- Try to invent new similes instead of using old ones. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/#x7)

### Note

Plural «similes». Say «SIM-ih-lee» (three syllables). Trap: a simile says something is «like» something else; a metaphor says it «is» that thing: «He was a lion in battle» is a metaphor. Not every sentence with «like» is a simile: «I like cake» is not.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «simile» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/simile/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«simile» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/simile.html) on Mova free.