Similes
“Her smile was like sunshine.”
Her smile is bright, warm, or cheerful;
“The classroom was a zoo.”
The classroom is noisy, chaotic, or disorderly
“The wind whispered through the trees.”
The wind moved softly and made a quiet sound. Whispering is a human action given to the wind.
“That test was a piece of cake.”
The test was very easy. The phrase does not mean that the test was actually food.
“I’ve told you a million times.”
The speaker has said something many times. The speaker probably has not said it exactly one million times.
“He ran as fast as a cheetah.”
He runs very fast
“My brother is a couch potato.”
he person is lazy or spends a lot of time sitting
“The alarm clock screamed at me.”
The alarm made a very loud or unpleasant sound. Screaming is a human action used to emphasize how harsh the alarm sounded.
“Break a leg!”
This means “Good luck,” especially before a performance. The speaker is not truly wishing for an injury.
“This backpack weighs a ton.”
The backpack feels very heavy. It does not literally weigh 2,000 pounds.
“The water was as cold as ice"
The water is extremely cold
“Her voice was velvet.”
Her voice is smooth, soft, or pleasant
“The flowers danced in the breeze.”
The flowers moved back and forth in the wind. Dancing is a human action used to make their movement seem lively.
“He let the cat out of the bag.”
He accidentally revealed a secret. The phrase does not involve a real cat.
“I was so hungry I could eat a horse.”
The speaker was extremely hungry. Eating a whole horse is an impossible exaggeration.
“The new student stood out like a sore thumb.”
The student is very noticeable or out of place.
“The city is a sleeping giant.”
The city has great power or potential that is not yet fully active
“The old house groaned in the storm.”
The house made creaking or cracking sounds during the storm. Groaning is a human action that makes the house seem old and strained.
“She is under the weather.”
She is feeling sick or unwell. The phrase describes her condition indirectly rather than saying she is ill.
“The line stretched all the way to the moon.”
The line was extremely long. It did not literally reach the moon.
“His words cut like a knife.”
His words were emotionally painful or harsh.
“The world is a stage.”
People perform different roles in life, similar to actors in a play.
“Fear grabbed him by the throat.”
He felt extremely frightened or unable to speak calmly. Fear cannot literally grab someone, so the phrase shows how powerfully the emotion affected him.
“He has a chip on his shoulder.”
He is resentful, angry, or easily offended because of a past problem. The phrase does not mean that he literally has a chip on his shoulder.
“My phone died of boredom waiting for you.”
The phone battery ran out while the person was waiting a long time. Phones cannot feel boredom, so the statement humorously exaggerates the wait.