metaphor
[ˈmedəˌfôr, ˈmedəˌfər]
NOUN
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
"her poetry depends on suggestion and metaphor" ·
synonyms:
figure of speech · figurative expression · image · trope · allegory · parable · analogy · comparison · symbol · emblem · word painting · word picture · conceit
a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.
"the amounts of money being lost by the company were enough to make it a metaphor for an industry that was teetering"
synonyms:
parable · analogy · symbol · emblem · story · tale · myth · legend · saga · fable · apologue