Figurative Language Examples
Below is an assortment of figurative language examples. Try and guess the type of figurative language used before looking at the explanation. Some examples can be more than one type of figurative language.
He is as old as the hills.
Of course no one is as old as the hills but by using hyperbole the age of the person is exaggerated.
Live and Learn
This expression, which is another way of saying we learn from our mistakes has been so overused that it is now considered a cliché.
American Airlines
Companies often use alliteration to help make their names more memorable.
Her head was spinning from all the new information.
We know that her head was not really "spinning" but instead she was having trouble taking in all the new information.
The toast jumped out of the toaster.
Giving the toast a human attribute, the abiliity to jump, makes this a use of personification.
Good as gold
This common expression is an onomatopoeia that means something has great value. Is "good as gold" an example of any other type of figurative language?
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
Since it is not possible for a person to actually eat a horse, this is an example of hyperbole used to exagerate a persons hunger.
Fit as a fiddle
Fit as a fiddle is a cliché used to state that something or someone is in good condition. What other categories of figurative language could this phrase belong to?