metonym

Plural: metonyms

Noun

• A word, name, or expression used as a substitute for something else.
• a word that denotes one thing but refers to a related thing
  • "Washington is a metonym for the United States government"
  • "plastic is a metonym for credit card"
• A word that names an object from a single characteristic of it or of a closely related object; a word used in metonymy.
• A concept, idea, or word used to represent, typify, or stand in for a broader set of ideas.

Examples

• Calling a government a "city hall" is using a metonym.
• He used ’the board’ as a metonym for the entire Scrabble game, referring to its current state.

Synonyms

synonym

Related Words

demonym, meronym, metanym, mononym, troponym