A metaphor states that one thing is another thing, while a simile compares two things using like or as. Memory hook: simile has an i, like the word like. Time is a thief is a metaphor; she fought like a lion is a simile.
The core difference
A metaphor claims a direct identity between two things, while a simile signals the comparison openly with like or as.
- metaphor — describes something by calling it another thing outright: "Time is a thief" is a metaphor, not a literal statement.
- simile — compares two unlike things using a linking word such as like or as: "She fought like a lion" is a simile.
How to tell them apart
The quickest test is to look for the word like or as. If it is there and doing the comparing, you are reading a simile. If the sentence just says one thing is another, without that linking word, it is a metaphor.
Both words go back to Greek and Latin roots about carrying meaning across, which is fitting: metaphor comes from a Greek word meaning to carry across, while simile comes from Latin similis, meaning like or similar. Writers often mix the two in the same piece, using a simile to introduce a comparison and then switching to metaphor once the image is established, so poems and speeches frequently contain both.
