A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words "like," "as," or "than". It is a literary device that is used to create vivid imagery or to draw surprising connections between two unrelated things. Similes are commonly used in literature, advertising, and everyday speech, and they are closely related to metaphors and analogies.

Some key points about similes include:

• A simile is a direct comparison of two like or unlike things.
• Similes can be used to emphasize or exaggerate a specific quality of one thing by comparing it to something else.
• Similes are effective because they "show" rather than "tell".
• Similes are commonly used in literature, speeches, advertising, and everyday speech.
• Similes should be avoided in formal contexts like academic writing.
• Similes are different from metaphors, which draw an implicit comparison by saying something is something else.

Examples of similes include "life is like a box of chocolates" and "shes as fierce as a tiger".