proverbial
adjective
pro·ver·bi·al
prə-ˈvər-bē-əl 
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
2
: that has become a proverb or byword : commonly spoken of
the proverbial smoking gun
Examples of proverbial in a Sentence
Insanity roamed through her large midwestern tribe, cloistered in proverbial dark closets in gabled houses in areas of the country where no one else lived for miles and miles …
—
Lynne Tillman, Motion Sickness, 1991
I keep running across people who speak fondly about what they imagine to be the comforts of autocracy, who long for the assurances of the proverbial man on the white horse likely to do something hard and puritanical about the moral relativism that has made a mess of the cities, the schools, and prime-time television.
—Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, November 1990
Lynne Tillman, Motion Sickness, 1991
I keep running across people who speak fondly about what they imagine to be the comforts of autocracy, who long for the assurances of the proverbial man on the white horse likely to do something hard and puritanical about the moral relativism that has made a mess of the cities, the schools, and prime-time television.
—Lewis H. Lapham, Harper's, November 1990
Recent Examples on the Web
The proverbial weight of being the best driver to never win the sport’s ultimate crown jewel, for now, is still on his back.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026
The joke around the proverbial water cooler goes that this is apparently the week all the bigwigs in lit world got together and decided to embrace their own destruction.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
The nonprofit marched to the front of the physical and proverbial picket lines on behalf of climate and labor justice, but in late February, after 11 years, its founder, Ayesha Barenblat, told the world that Remake would be shutting its doors.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
At the time, teen powerhouses like Aaliyah, Brandy, and Monica were blowing up the charts and Interscope was hoping Mýa could be their own proverbial cash cow.
—Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2026
The joke around the proverbial water cooler goes that this is apparently the week all the bigwigs in lit world got together and decided to embrace their own destruction.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
The nonprofit marched to the front of the physical and proverbial picket lines on behalf of climate and labor justice, but in late February, after 11 years, its founder, Ayesha Barenblat, told the world that Remake would be shutting its doors.
—Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
At the time, teen powerhouses like Aaliyah, Brandy, and Monica were blowing up the charts and Interscope was hoping Mýa could be their own proverbial cash cow.
—Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
Cite this Entry
“Proverbial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proverbial. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
proverbial
adjective
pro·ver·bi·al
prə-ˈvər-bē-əl
1
: of, relating to, or resembling a proverb
proverbial wisdom
2
: commonly spoken of
the proverbial beginner's luck
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
