A trope is a literary or rhetorical device that uses figurative language, such as a word, phrase, or image, for artistic effect). It is a substitution of a word or phrase by a less literal word or phrase). The term trope has also undergone a semantic change and now also describes commonly recurring or overused literary and rhetorical devices, motifs, or clichés in creative works). Tropes can be found in almost every category of writing, such as poetry, film, plays, and video games). The term derives from the Greek word "tropos," meaning "a turn, a change," and is used metaphorically to denote, among other things, metaphorical language).

Examples of tropes include a word or expression used in a figurative sense, a common or overused theme or device, a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in the Middle Ages, and a body characterized by (such) a state allotrope. Tropes can also be used to convey something different from their literal meaning, such as in metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony.

In creative writing, tropes can be used to create familiarity and resonance with the audience, but overuse of tropes can lead to clichés and predictability. Therefore, writers need to be aware of the tropes they use and how they use them to avoid being derivative and to create fresh and original works.