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
Roselli added the ongoing work by investigators in the Guthrie case amounts to the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack.
—Joe Holden, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Mercedes-Benz stresses that pulling Marco Polo production in-house will ensure the highest quality standards by putting its own proverbial fingerprints all over every step and detail.
—New Atlas, 17 Feb. 2026
The initial two might’ve put Tang on the proverbial hot seat.
—Sam McDowell February 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2026
The Padres were shopping in the proverbial bargain bin as their payroll commitments are right up against their internal projection for the start of the season.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for proverbial
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Joe Holden, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Mercedes-Benz stresses that pulling Marco Polo production in-house will ensure the highest quality standards by putting its own proverbial fingerprints all over every step and detail.
—New Atlas, 17 Feb. 2026
The initial two might’ve put Tang on the proverbial hot seat.
—Sam McDowell February 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Feb. 2026
The Padres were shopping in the proverbial bargain bin as their payroll commitments are right up against their internal projection for the start of the season.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 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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