A literary trope is the use of figurative language, via word, phrase or an image, for artistic effect such as using a figure of speech. Keith and Lundburg describe a trope as, "a substitution of a word or phrase by a less literal word or phrase." The word trope has also come to be used for describing commonly recurring literary and rhetorical devices, motifs or clichés in creative works.

Arts, entertainment, and media. Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device Trope (music), any of a variety of different things in medieval and modern music Fantasy tropes, elements of the fantasy genre; TV Tropes, a wiki for conventions and devices found within creative works