A simile is a figurative comparison, usually using “like” or “as.” “The conversation moved like a stuck drawer” makes an awkward exchange feel painfully familiar. Other simile examples, such as “as light as a feather,” get their point across through familiar sayings. These 50 entries range from everyday speech to film lines; each gives you a comparison in context, with source details for borrowed lines.
In This Article
- 1. As Busy as a Bee
- 2. Like the Wind
- 3. As Warm as Sunshine
- 4. As Cool as a Cucumber
- 5. As Light as a Feather
- 6. As Brave as a Lion
- 7. As Quiet as a Mouse
- 8. As Stubborn as a Mule
- 9. As Clear as Crystal
- 10. As Cold as Ice
- 11. Like a Fish Out of Water
- 12. As Slow as a Snail
- 13. As Sharp as a Tack
- 14. Like Two Peas in a Pod
- 15. As Dry as a Bone
- 16. As Sweet as Honey
- 17. Like Watching Paint Dry
- 18. As Steady as a Rock
- 19. Like Loose Change
- 20. Like a Wet Blanket
- 21. Like a Leaf
- 22. Like a Zipper
- 23. Like a Dropped Plate
- 24. Like a Folded Umbrella
- 25. Like a Loose Shopping Cart Wheel
- 26. Like a Flashlight Beam
- 27. Like a Cracked Phone Screen
- 28. Like a Skipping Record
- 29. Like a Stuck Drawer
- 30. Like a Tent in Strong Wind
- 31. Like a Fingerprint
- 32. Like an Untuned Radio
- 33. Like a Library Cart
- 34. Like Steam From a Kettle
- 35. Like an Unfinished Puzzle
- 36. Like Sandpaper
- 37. Nothing Like the Sun
- 38. As Dead as a Door-Nail
- 39. Like Moths
- 40. Like a Red, Red Rose
- 41. Lonely as a Cloud
- 42. Like a Diamond in the Sky
- 43. Like a Patient Etherized Upon a Table
- 44. Like a Raisin in the Sun
- 45. Like a Rolling Stone
- 46. Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water
- 47. Like a Prayer
- 48. Like a Telescope
- 49. Ogres Are Like Onions
- 50. Life Was Like a Box of Chocolates
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Choose the Comparison That Clarifies
1. As Busy as a Bee
“Before the fundraiser, Rosa was as busy as a bee, taping up signs while answering questions through a mouthful of sandwich.”
2. Like the Wind
“Malik ran like the wind toward the finish line, passing the runner who had led all afternoon.”
3. As Warm as Sunshine
“Her smile was as warm as sunshine when I finally walked into the waiting room.” Nobody asked why I was late.
4. As Cool as a Cucumber
“Despite the alarm, the pilot stayed as cool as a cucumber.” She read the cockpit checklist aloud without raising her voice.
5. As Light as a Feather
“The empty backpack felt as light as a feather.” I checked that I hadn't left everything behind.
6. As Brave as a Lion
“During her first debate, Elena was as brave as a lion, challenging the senior who had laughed at her opening statement.”
7. As Quiet as a Mouse
“The toddler crept past the bedroom as quiet as a mouse, carrying his shoes.”
8. As Stubborn as a Mule
“Grandpa was as stubborn as a mule about taking the river road, even with the bridge closed.”
9. As Clear as Crystal
“After the instructor demonstrated the slipknot, the instructions were as clear as crystal.” This time, the loop held.
10. As Cold as Ice
“His greeting was as cold as ice when his former business partner arrived.” He left her hand unshaken.
11. Like a Fish Out of Water
“At the formal banquet, I felt like a fish out of water in my borrowed jacket, watching which fork everyone picked up.”
12. As Slow as a Snail
“The checkout line moved as slow as a snail.” The ice cream softened in my basket.
13. As Sharp as a Tack
“At ninety, Aunt June was still as sharp as a tack: she spotted the duplicate charge before the waiter did.”
14. Like Two Peas in a Pod
“The cousins were like two peas in a pod, both wrinkling their noses at the same spoonful of soup.”
15. As Dry as a Bone
“After weeks without rain, the garden soil was as dry as a bone, split into hard, uneven tiles.”
16. As Sweet as Honey
“The thank-you note was as sweet as honey: ‘You saved me a seat when I thought nobody wanted me there.’”
17. Like Watching Paint Dry
“Waiting through the loading screen was like watching paint dry.” The progress bar hadn't moved since lunch.
18. As Steady as a Rock
“When the kitchen caught fire, Priya was as steady as a rock, guiding everyone outside while I fumbled with my phone.”
19. Like Loose Change
“With every hurried step, the keys rattled like loose change inside his coat pocket.”
20. Like a Wet Blanket
“His prediction that nobody would come settled over our excitement like a wet blanket.”
21. Like a Leaf
“Outside the audition room, she shook like a leaf, making the pages of her script whisper against each other.”
22. Like a Zipper
“The bicycle tire hissed like a zipper opening.” A sound comparison can carry a scene without another description.
23. Like a Dropped Plate
“The silence broke like a dropped plate when someone shouted my name.” The interruption feels destructive, not merely loud.
24. Like a Folded Umbrella
“Motionless in the shallows, the heron stood like a folded umbrella beside the pond.”
25. Like a Loose Shopping Cart Wheel
“My thoughts wobbled like a loose shopping cart wheel whenever I returned to the unanswered question.”
26. Like a Flashlight Beam
“Her attention moved across the room like a flashlight beam, stopping on the empty chair.”
27. Like a Cracked Phone Screen
“The frozen puddle looked like a cracked phone screen beneath my boot.”
28. Like a Skipping Record
“His apology repeated like a skipping record: sorry, sorry, sorry.” He never named what he'd done.
29. Like a Stuck Drawer
“The conversation moved like a stuck drawer whenever we reached the subject of money.”
30. Like a Tent in Strong Wind
“On the exposed ridge, the loose shirt flapped like a tent in strong wind.”
31. Like a Fingerprint
“The river bend curved like a fingerprint across the map.” I traced it to find our campsite.
32. Like an Untuned Radio
“Through the thin wall, their argument sounded like an untuned radio.” Only my name came through clearly.
33. Like a Library Cart
“The overloaded stroller rolled like a library cart, its wheels squeaking beneath the shopping bags.”
34. Like Steam From a Kettle
“When the doctor said she could go home, relief escaped him like steam from a kettle.”
35. Like an Unfinished Puzzle
“The detective's evidence lay like an unfinished puzzle across the desk, with nothing yet connecting the receipt to the photograph.”
36. Like Sandpaper
“After cheering all evening, my throat felt like sandpaper.” Even saying goodnight hurt.
37. Nothing Like the Sun
In William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130, “My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun” rejects a conventional comparison between a lover’s eyes and the sun. This negative comparison denies resemblance rather than asserting it.
38. As Dead as a Door-Nail
Charles Dickens uses “as dead as a door-nail” for Marley in A Christmas Carol (1843), then questions his own wording: “I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade.”
39. Like Moths
F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the partygoers a drifting rhythm in The Great Gatsby (1925): “In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”
40. Like a Red, Red Rose
Robert Burns begins “A Red, Red Rose” with “O my Luve is like a red, red rose.” The repeated “red” makes this declaration feel spoken with delight.
41. Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth opens “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” with “I wandered lonely as a cloud,” comparing the solitary speaker to a drifting cloud. The daffodils he encounters afterward interrupt that loneliness.
42. Like a Diamond in the Sky
Jane Taylor's “The Star,” published in 1806, describes a star shining “like a diamond in the sky.” The comparison gives a distant point of light a jewel’s brilliance.
43. Like a Patient Etherized Upon a Table
In T. S. Eliot's “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the evening spreads against the sky “like a patient etherised upon a table.” The anesthetized patient’s stillness makes the scene unsettling rather than romantic.
44. Like a Raisin in the Sun
Does a deferred dream dry up “like a raisin in the sun”? Langston Hughes makes that possibility physical in “Harlem”: something once full loses its vitality.
45. Like a Rolling Stone
In Bob Dylan's 1965 song “Like a Rolling Stone,” the singer compares the person he addresses to a rolling stone after describing her as alone, without a home or direction. The comparison suggests displacement rather than freedom.
46. Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water
In Simon & Garfunkel's 1970 song “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” the speaker compares himself to a bridge that will support someone through distress. The troubled water represents the difficulties his support will help them face.
47. Like a Prayer
In Madonna's 1989 song “Like a Prayer,” hearing the person she addresses call her name feels like a prayer. The comparison gives that intimate exchange the emotional intensity of devotion.
48. Like a Telescope
Alice shuts up “like a telescope” in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). A familiar retracting object makes her impossible shrinking easy to follow.
49. Ogres Are Like Onions
In Shrek (2001), Shrek explains that ogres have layers. The onion comparison makes his claim to complexity funny without cancelling it.
50. Life Was Like a Box of Chocolates
In Forrest Gump (1994), Forrest recalls his mother's comparison. The unknown chocolate fillings make life's uncertainty ordinary enough to hold in your hand.
Key Takeaways
- Give familiar sayings a situation worth describing.
- Let a strong sensory comparison stand without a translation.
- Match the comparison to the speaker's voice.
- Borrowed lines need their source; original comparisons need a clear connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Simile Example?
“The keys rattled like loose change” is an example of a simile comparing sounds. Calling similes examples of figurative language distinguishes them from literal comparisons.
What Is the Difference Between a Simile and a Metaphor?
A simile explicitly compares things; a metaphor presents one as another. “I am your bridge” turns the song's comparison into a metaphor.
Does Every Sentence Containing “Like” Count as a Comparison?
No: in “I like peaches,” the word expresses preference. Two identical chairs looking alike can also be a literal observation, not figurative language.
Can a Comparison Use “Than” Instead of “Like” or “As”?
Yes, though definitions of simile vary. “She was quicker than lightning” is figurative; comparing two runners' recorded times is literal.
When Does a Familiar Comparison Become a Cliché?
It becomes a cliché when repetition makes it feel automatic or stale. Familiar wording can still suit casual speech or a character who favors stock sayings.
Choose the Comparison That Clarifies
Choose the quality you need before reaching for a phrase. For a sound, the keys and loose change give you a direct connection; for an awkward exchange, the stuck drawer adds resistance. Simile meaning comes from that shared quality, not from inserting “like” into a sentence.
Then ask whose comparison it is. A child might reach for a cracked phone screen; another speaker might choose something from their work. Neither needs to sound like a poet. Read your sentence without the comparison and see what disappears. Keep it if you lose something precise. Cut it if it merely repeats the adjective beside it. A familiar saying can do the job, provided the surrounding sentence gives it a reason to be there.