What is the difference between a simile and a methphor?

While a simile and a metaphor both compare two things, a simile compares them by using 'like' or 'as' and a metaphor does not. An example of a simile is "the food was as cold as ice" and an example of a metaphor is "he is such a baby" : D

The difference between metaphors and similes is that similes hit you over the head with the comparison by using explicit words such as "like" or "as," - - When Jon Bon Jovi sings "My heart is like an open highway," that's a simile because he used the word "like" to directly make the comparison