A simile is a figure of speech that compares two different things, usually by using the words 'like' or 'as'. It is used to make a "direct and clear comparison between two things .Similes" may be confused with metaphors, which do the same kind of thing. Similes use comparisons, with the words 'like' or 'as'. Metaphors use indirect comparisons, without the words 'like' or 'as'.