What term describes a figure of speech that describes one thing as another, without using 'like' or 'as' ?

• A. Alliteration
• B. Simile
• C. Metaphor
• D. Personification

Answer: (C)

Metaphor is the figure of speech described here. A metaphor makes a direct claim that one thing is another, instead of saying one thing is like or as another. This creates a strong, imaginative link between ideas. For example, “Time is a thief” treats time as if it were a thief, giving it the sense of stealing moments without saying time is only like a thief.

That’s different from a simile, which would use like or as to compare (for instance, “Time is like a thief”). It’s also not about sound patterns (alliteration) or giving human traits to nonhuman things (personification). Since this describes one thing as another without using like or as, metaphor is the best fit.