Figurative Language Examples

Whether you are making your own figurative language worksheets or activities, or you’re looking for examples of figurative language to help you review or teach figurative language, I’m sure that you’ll find these pages to be a great resource.  You’ll find hundreds of mainly original, well-written (very few cliches) figurative language techniques that I hope will suit your purposes.

Simile Examples

  1. When he kissed her, it felt to her as though he were trying to win a sword fight.
  2. Allie’s cell phone dropped into the toilet like a falling star.
  3. “Food?”  Chris inquired, popping out of his seat like a toaster strudel.
  4. Grandpa lounged on the raft in the middle of the pool like an old battleship.
  5. If seen from above the factory, the workers would have looked like clock parts.
  6. Toby manipulated the people in his life as though they were chess pieces.
  7. The people who still lived in the town were stuck in place like wax statues.
  8. Cassie talked to her son about girls as though she were giving him tax advice.
  9. Alan’s jokes were like flat soda to the children, surprisingly unpleasant.
  10. Their prayers were like mayflies in June.

Looking for more?  Fifty examples of similes

Metaphor Examples

Looking for more examples of metaphors? Fifty examples of Metaphors

  1. The detective listened to her tales with a wooden face.
  2. She was fairly certain that life was a fashion show.
  3. The typical teenage boy’s room is a disaster area.
  4. The children were roses grown in concrete gardens, beautiful and forlorn.
  5. That woman is the cancer of my dreams and aspirations.
  6. Kisses are the flowers of love in bloom.
  7. His cotton candy words did not appeal to her taste.
  8. Kathy arrived at the grocery store with an army of children.
  9. Waves of spam emails inundated his inbox.
  10. Her eyes were fireflies.

Hyperbole Examples

  1. Charlie gazed hopelessly at the endless pile of bills stretching across the counter.
  2. That woman has no self-control.
  3. That was the easiest question in the world.
  4. Nothing can bother him.
  5. I can smell pizza from a mile a way.
  6. I went home and made the biggest sandwich of all time.
  7. My dad is always working.
  8. Patty drank from a bottomless glass of Kool-Aid.
  9. Allie has a million pairs of shoes in her closet.
  10. Old Mr. Johnson has been teaching here since the Stone Age.

Looking For More?  Fifty examples of hyperbole

Personification Examples

  1. Justice is blind and, at times, deaf.
  2. Money is the only friend that I can count on.
  3. The cactus saluted any visitor brave enough to travel the scorched land.
  4. Jan ate the hot dog despite the arguments it posed to her digestive system.
  5. The world does not care to hear your sad stories.
  6. After freedom’s sweet kiss, she could never return to the doldrums of the factory.
  7. Peggy heard the last piece of cheesecake in the refrigerator calling her name.
  8. The sorry engine wheezed its death cough.
  9. Drugs dragged him into this place and they wouldn’t let him leave alive.
  10. The buses can be impatient around here.

Looking For More? Fifty examples of personification

 

Common Core State Standards Related to Figurative Language

Anchor Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 – Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Expand to View All Common Core State Standards Related to Figurative Language
ELA Standards: Literature

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

ELA Standards: Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a – Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a – Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.

View Source
Common Core Lesson and Unit Plans
Understanding Common Core State Standards

 

Looking For More Figurative Language Stuff?
Figurative Language Game
Online Figurative Language Practice Quizzes
Figurative Language Worksheets
Figurative Language Activities
All Reading Worksheets

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39 Comments

  1. sarah

     /  May 23, 2022

    It help me with my creative writing I like this app

    Reply
  2. Lucia

     /  February 25, 2020

    The best website when looking for figurative language.

    Reply
  3. brianna roberts

     /  February 26, 2019

    this is actually a helpful website when you are looking for an example of a figurative language.

    Reply
  4. jacksonmendo1

     /  September 26, 2018

    nice thankyou for the help

    Reply
  5. ded peeplz

     /  June 21, 2018

    thx for da help!

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    Reply
  6. Areesha Malik

     /  June 17, 2018

    hi it kinda helped

    Reply
  7. precious

     /  May 30, 2018

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    Reply
  8. Timy

     /  March 14, 2017

    your site helped with my homework. thanks

    Reply
  9. Rose

     /  January 19, 2017

    Thank you for your help.
    How do we compare two articles: 19th and 21st centuries?. Help me please.

    Reply
  10. kailey

     /  December 6, 2016

    I needed all of the figurative languages

    Reply
  11. kelly baker

     /  November 15, 2016

    I need the idiom and onomatopoeia and cliche and alliteration and bunch of other stuff like personification too. but the other examples are really great and they helped me a lot.

    Reply
  12. Jadon

     /  November 9, 2016

    I need Imagary examples

    Reply
  13. Amiah

     /  September 7, 2016

    This is helpful 🙂

    Reply
  14. DD

     /  May 16, 2016

    Where are the alliterations, i needed those, but this was an awsome help to!

    Reply
  15. jewels

     /  April 1, 2016

    thanks so much!

    Reply
  16. Nicole

     /  March 30, 2016

    I think these examples are AWESOME

    Reply
  17. Maria

     /  March 1, 2016

    Thank you, Mr. Morton! I’m almost crying with happiness 🙂 Your worksheets and presentations are extremely useful. Thank you so much. Greetings from cold Norway!

    Reply
  18. Nosa

     /  October 28, 2015

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    Reply
  19. Shae

     /  September 30, 2015

    Thx! You kinda helped

    Reply
  20. Sheena de jesus

     /  April 22, 2015

    hello, may i know the full name of the author of the examples? I just need it it in my bibliography… thanks a lot!!

    Reply
  21. Jason

     /  December 29, 2014

    Really useful writing tools

    Reply
  22. where’s idioms

    Reply
  23. Rgberghergm

     /  January 13, 2014

    There is no alliteration

    Reply
  24. What does the fox say

     /  October 10, 2013

    This was so majestically helpful

    Reply
  25. kristof Iipinge

     /  February 13, 2013

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  27. SomebodyThatYouUsedToKnow

     /  January 13, 2013

    This is awesome!!!!:) It really helped me with my figurative writing piece!THANKS!!!

    Reply
  28. Caitlin

     /  November 6, 2012

    This website is amazing!!!!!! It helped me so much I’m in seventh grade and it helped tremendously!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  29. AHJ

     /  October 22, 2012

    Thank you for the power point and lists of figurative language.

    Reply
  30. melanie

     /  October 22, 2012

    Thank you for the power point and lists of figurative language. They are very useful for my tutoring.

    Reply
  31. This web site is awesome. I’ll use it with my 6th graders and pass it along to other colleagues. Thanks

    Reply
  32. minnie

     /  September 8, 2012

    wow this really helped my daughter out

    Reply
  33. Mr. Pakoa

     /  August 6, 2012

    this is excellent! thank you.

    Reply

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