Hello English learners. In this lesson, we’ll look at 40 common similes with AS and LIKE.
A simile is a figure of speech that compares one thing with another using as or like. Similes make descriptions more vivid and expressive.
For example:
- as cool as a cucumber
- swim like a fish
Here are 40 useful similes with as and like, together with their meanings and example sentences.
Similes with AS
| As blind as a bat | having very poor eyesight | Without her glasses, Jill is as blind as a bat. |
| As brave as a lion | very brave | The boy was as brave as a lion when he faced the challenge. |
| As busy as a bee | very busy and active | Mary has been as busy as a bee all day cleaning her flat. |
| As clean as a whistle | extremely clean | Mike cleaned the car until it was as clean as a whistle. |
| As cold as ice | extremely cold | Tom’s hands were as cold as ice. |
| As dead as a doornail | completely dead | The animal was as dead as a doornail. |
| As different as night and day | completely different | Darren and his brother are as different as night and day. |
| As quick as lightning | extremely quick | She answered the question as quick as lightning. |
| As fresh as a daisy | healthy and full of energy | After a good night’s sleep, Simon looked as fresh as a daisy. |
| As gentle as a lamb | very calm and gentle | My dentist is as gentle as a lamb. |
| As happy as a clam | very happy | Rob was as happy as a clam when he heard the good news. |
| As hot as hell | extremely hot | It was as hot as hell outside, so we stayed indoors. |
| As light as a feather | extremely light | The parcel was large but as light as a feather. |
| As old as the hills | very old | I’ve heard that story before. It’s as old as the hills. |
| As proud as a peacock | extremely proud | The boy was as proud as a peacock when he showed his marks to his parents. |
| As smooth as silk | very smooth | After the treatment, Jill’s skin was as smooth as silk. |
| As stubborn as a mule | extremely stubborn | You’ll never make him change his mind. He’s as stubborn as a mule. |
| As hard/tough as nails | very strong and not easily affected by emotion | The manager may seem friendly, but she is as tough as nails when necessary. |
| As wise as an owl | very wise | Everyone asked him for advice because they thought he was as wise as an owl. |
| As white as a sheet | extremely pale | Maria was so frightened that she went as white as a sheet. |
Similes with LIKE
| Cry like a baby | cry a lot | Laura cried like a baby at the end of the film. |
| Cut like a knife | cause strong emotional pain | His cruel words cut like a knife. |
| Life is like a box of chocolates | life is full of surprises | Life can be like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get. |
| Drink like a fish | drink a lot of alcohol | My neighbour used to drink like a fish. |
| Eat like a bird | eat very little | You eat like a bird. Aren’t you hungry? |
| Eat like a pig | eat a lot or eat with bad manners | He was eating like a pig at the party. |
| Fight like cats and dogs | argue frequently and angrily | Before they separated, they fought like cats and dogs. |
| Fit like a glove | fit perfectly | My new shoes fit like a glove. |
| Like a hot knife through butter | very easily | The sharp blade went through the material like a hot knife through butter. |
| Get on like a house on fire | become friendly very quickly | Mark and Gregory got on like a house on fire when they first met. |
| Have a memory like a sieve | forget things easily | Hugh has a memory like a sieve, so he writes everything down. |
| Know something like the back of your hand | know something extremely well | I know this town like the back of my hand. |
| Look like a million dollars | look extremely attractive | You look like a million dollars in that dress. |
| Move like a snail | move very slowly | Traffic was moving like a snail this morning. |
| Like a rabbit caught in the headlights | too frightened or surprised to react | When the teacher asked him to speak, he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. |
| Sing like an angel | sing beautifully | Our daughter sings like an angel. |
| Sleep like a log/baby | sleep very deeply | Norman was exhausted and slept like a log all night. |
| Smoke like a chimney | smoke a lot | My grandfather used to smoke like a chimney. |
| Run like lightning | run extremely quickly | The boy ran like lightning when he heard the dog barking. |
| Stand/stick out like a sore thumb | be very noticeable because you are different | Martin stood out like a sore thumb because he was much taller than everyone else. |
Quiz
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2 Comments
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