Sports Metaphors

adjective relating to or characteristic of ballet

• The balletic movements of the prima ballerina captivated the audience.
• She moved across the stage in a balletic manner that was mesmerizing.
• Did you see that guy's balletic skills on the dance floor last night?
• The balletic precision with which he executed his plan was impressive.

noun a low, guttural sound made by an animal, typically as a sign of aggression or hostility

verb to make a low, guttural sound like that of a growling animal

• The lion let out a menacing growl before approaching its prey.
• My stomach started to growl as soon as I smelled the delicious food.
• The dog gave a low growl when the stranger approached.
• The engine began to growl as the car accelerated down the highway.

noun a male sheep

verb to forcefully strike or push into something

preposition to insert or force something into a confined space

• The farmer needed to ram in the fence posts to secure the perimeter of the field.
• I had to really ram in my studying last night before the exam.
• I'm going to ram in some pizza before we head out to the party.
• She tends to ram in her opinions during meetings, not giving others a chance to speak.

noun a word that functions as the name of a specific person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action, occurrence, or state of being

adverb a word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• The ship will sail into the harbor at dawn.
• We're going to sail into the cove for a swim.
• Let's sail into that party and make some noise!
• She had no idea what challenges would sail into her life next.

verb to swerve or turn suddenly away from a course

adverb completely or absolutely

• The ship had to sheer off to avoid colliding with the rocks.
• The car suddenly sheered off to the left to avoid hitting the animal.
• The skateboarder had to sheer off at the last minute to avoid crashing into the railing.
• She had to sheer off from her toxic friends in order to focus on her own well-being.

verb To overwhelm or bury someone or something with a large amount of work or tasks.

• The team is starting to snow under with all the paperwork that needs to be completed.
• I'm starting to snow under with all the assignments due next week.
• I feel like I'm snowed under with all the errands I have to run today.
• She felt like she was snowed under with all the responsibilities of being a team leader.

noun a loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash due to the expansion of rapidly heated air

verb None

adjective None

adverb None

pronoun None

preposition None

conjunction None

interjection None

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• The loud clap of thunder could be heard in the distance.
• Did you hear that thunder rumbling just now?
• That thunder was so loud, it scared the pants off me!
• His voice boomed like thunder in the meeting room.

noun a brass musical instrument with a flared bell and a bright, penetrating tone

verb to play a trumpet or make a sound like that of a trumpet

• The musician played a beautiful melody on the trumpet during the concert.
• I love jamming out on my trumpet with friends in the garage.
• I can't wait to blow my trumpet at the party tonight!
• She always likes to trumpet her achievements to everyone she meets.

noun a conflict or struggle between opposing forces or nations

verb to engage in or carry on a war

• The country decided to wage war against its neighboring nation.
• They're really gearing up to wage war on that issue.
• Let's go wage war on those final exams!
• Sometimes it feels like my allergies are waging war on my sinuses.

adjective having weak or feeble knees

• She was criticized for being weak-kneed in her approach to the negotiations.
• He always gets weak-kneed around his crush.
• Don't be so weak-kneed, stand up for yourself!
• The team showed a weak-kneed response to the opponent's aggressive tactics.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

pronoun a word that takes the place of a noun

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

conjunction a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses

• Some individuals are born on third and think they hit a triple, meaning they believe they achieved success without putting in the necessary effort.
• There are people who are born on third and think they hit a triple, thinking they're special when they're really not.
• Those born on third and think they hit a triple are just lucky fools who don't realize it.
• She acts like she was born on third and thinks she hit a triple, always expecting things to come easy to her.

noun a short distance; a very close proximity

• The new office building is located just a stone’s throw away from the train station.
• The grocery store is just a stone’s throw down the road.
• I can hit that target with a stone’s throw, no problem.
• Their relationship is like a stone’s throw, always close but never quite connecting.

noun the surface of the earth, specifically in a military context

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (boots) and another word in the sentence (on)

• The military decided to send more boots on the ground to assist with the humanitarian mission.
• We need to get some boots on the ground to help clean up this mess.
• Let's get our boots on the ground and get this job done!
• In order to truly understand the situation, we need to have boots on the ground to gather firsthand information.

noun a musical term indicating a gradual increase in speed or tempo

• The orchestra gradually increased the tempo, playing accelerando as they reached the climax of the piece.
• The car sped up with an accelerando as it raced down the highway.
• The party was getting boring until the DJ put on some music with an accelerando, and then everyone started dancing.
• As the project deadline approached, the team's work pace began to accelerando, with everyone putting in extra hours to meet the goal.