A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as". It makes an explicit comparison that is often easier to spot than a metaphor.

Examples include "as brave as a lion", "quiet as a mouse", and "floats like a butterfly". Similes are common in poetry, everyday speech, and advertising, and they can be used to make abstract ideas vivid or to create humour and emphasis.

Key points

• Comparison using like or as
• Explicit rather than implicit
• Common in poetry and speech
• Makes descriptions vivid