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
Use the spaghetti method to throw a bunch of activities against the proverbial wall and see what sticks.
—Dr. Jordan Grumet, Contributor, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2025
Here is a look at all the men and women who have already thrown their proverbial hat into the ring for WWE’s 2025 Royal Rumble:
John Cena
The franchise is on his farewell tour and has his first opportunity to position himself to win a record 17 world championships.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
There was still the proverbial couch lit on fire, and fans barreled through the closed gates surrounding Ohio Stadium as midnight struck.
—Justin Williams, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
And the proverbial cherry on top: Paid-off solar panels are included.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for proverbial 
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Dr. Jordan Grumet, Contributor, CNBC, 24 Jan. 2025
Here is a look at all the men and women who have already thrown their proverbial hat into the ring for WWE’s 2025 Royal Rumble:
John Cena
The franchise is on his farewell tour and has his first opportunity to position himself to win a record 17 world championships.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
There was still the proverbial couch lit on fire, and fans barreled through the closed gates surrounding Ohio Stadium as midnight struck.
—Justin Williams, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
And the proverbial cherry on top: Paid-off solar panels are included.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 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 30 Jan. 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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