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
Alves said that adding men’s tennis to Kigel’s proverbial plate is a way to keep him feeling challenged.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Talk about the proverbial dog who caught up to the mail truck.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Senior transfer Jeremiah Oden started in Gwath’s place Wednesday, but his recent form has fallen off a proverbial cliff.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
His characters make cavalier deals with the proverbial devil, even as the costs become harder to ignore.
—Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
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Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Talk about the proverbial dog who caught up to the mail truck.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Senior transfer Jeremiah Oden started in Gwath’s place Wednesday, but his recent form has fallen off a proverbial cliff.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
His characters make cavalier deals with the proverbial devil, even as the costs become harder to ignore.
—Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 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 30 Jan. 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
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