Metaphor, MEHT uh fuhr or MEHT uh fawr, a figure of speech, is an expression taken from one field of experience and used to say something in another field. For example, when we say, "He's a sly fox," we are using metaphor. That is, we are using the name of an animal to describe a man. A metaphor suggests a comparison without using the word like or as. The statement "He is like a sly fox" or "He is sly as a fox" is a simile (see Simile).