What Is a Metonym? (with Examples)
What Is a Metonym? (with Examples)
A metonym is a word used in place of a closely related word.
A metonym is a form of figurative language. Metonyms closely resemble metaphors, but the thing being represented by a metonym will be a close match. A metonym is often an attribute or a component part of the thing being represented.
Examples of Metonyms
Here are some examples of metonyms (shaded):
- After college, he took to the bottle.
(The bottle is a metonym for alcohol.)
- Downing Street supports the proposal.
(Downing Street is a metonym for the Prime Minister.)
- The top brass is contesting the cuts.
(Top brass is a metonym for the senior officers.)
- This is not how it will be portrayed by Fleet Street.
(Fleet Street is a metonym for the British national press.)
