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
Fares increased last year, and now Metra is threatening fare hikes again — plus service cuts — as the agency stares down the proverbial fiscal cliff.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Just as industry people arrived home from Park City last week, everyone checked the proverbial scoreboard and realized not one world premiere feature had been acquired from Sundance.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
But Danielle says the entire experience of being called out after stirring up trouble behind the scenes also brought her back to getting caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar as a child.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2025
The push back against DEI has steadily gained momentum, and eventually became an all-out assault with President Donald Trump's series of orders seeming to serve as the final proverbial nail in the coffin.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for proverbial 
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The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025
Just as industry people arrived home from Park City last week, everyone checked the proverbial scoreboard and realized not one world premiere feature had been acquired from Sundance.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2025
But Danielle says the entire experience of being called out after stirring up trouble behind the scenes also brought her back to getting caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar as a child.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 31 Jan. 2025
The push back against DEI has steadily gained momentum, and eventually became an all-out assault with President Donald Trump's series of orders seeming to serve as the final proverbial nail in the coffin.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for proverbial
Dictionary Entries Near proverbial
Cite this Entry
“Proverbial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proverbial. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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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