51Թ

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View synonyms for

figure of speech

[ fig-yer uhv speech ]

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. 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of figure of speech1

First recorded in 1815–25

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