noun
- words or phrases that substitute for something else with which they are closely associated
Usage: linguistics; rhetoric
Examples
- The phrase ‘the White House’ and ‘the Crown’ are common metonyms for government authority.
- Writers often use metonyms like ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ to create vivid imagery.
- In journalism, metonyms such as ‘Wall Street’ represent the financial industry.
- Students learned to identify metonyms in poetry during their literature class.
- The teacher explained how metonyms differ from metaphors in figurative language.
- Hollywood serves as one of the most recognizable metonyms for the film industry.