A simile is an indirect comparison between two ideas that uses like, as, as if, or as though. The phrases “harmless as a dove” and “runs like the wind” are similes. They use the words as and like, which are words of indirect comparison. Jee is not a dove, and Raul is not the wind; instead, they are discussed in similes as having traits similar to these things. Because a simile is a figure of speech that cannot be taken literally, the effective reader must interpret the author’s meaning.

Example:

Jack is sharp as a tack.

Elaine eats like a bird.

The words like and as are words of indirect comparison. Jamie is not a tack, and Elaine is not a bird; instead, they are discussed in similes as similar to these things. Jack is compared to a sharp tack because he is smart or quick-minded. Perhaps Elaine’s eating style is compared to a bird’s because she picks at her food and takes tiny bites of it. Saying that Elaine “eats like a bird” means that Elaine eats small portions. Because a simile is a figure of speech that cannot be taken literally, the skilled reader must interpret the author’s meaning.

Some examples are: He was as cold as ice.

It shot out like a bullet.

The snow was as thick as a blanket.