synecdoche
/sɪˈnɛkdəki/
noun
- A figure of speech in which a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing, or the whole is used to refer to a part.
- When people say 'nice wheels' to compliment a car, they are using synecdoche because 'wheels' stands for the entire vehicle.
- The writer used synecdoche by saying 'all hands on deck' to mean all sailors on the ship.
- In the phrase 'the White House issued a statement,' 'White House' is a synecdoche for the president and their staff.
- A figure of speech in which a material or substance stands for the object made from it, or a specific class name stands for a general category.
- Asking for 'a glass of water' uses synecdoche because 'glass' refers to the container made of glass, not the material itself.
- The phrase 'the pen is mightier than the sword' uses synecdoche, with 'pen' representing writing and 'sword' representing military force.
- In sports, saying 'the bats are warming up' is synecdoche, where 'bats' stands for the players who use them.