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
Football romances give us a juicy peek into the proverbial locker room of professional sports, full of tension as characters balance their devotion to the game with their tumultuous love lives.
—Ellie K. Wilde, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
That huge space rock, known as the Chicxulub impactor, is widely believed to have ended the reign of non-avian dinosaurs, altering the planet's climate and paving the way for mammals to rise from the proverbial ashes.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
That makes delaying the issuance of the Final Report until this matter is resolved essential, as there will be no way to put the proverbial cat back into the bag after the Final Report is shared with Congress, and no way to control congressional speech regarding the pending criminal case.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
For Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine, this cold front could prove to be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back in how any cease fire negotiations with Russia might ultimately play out.
—Daniel Markind, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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.
Ellie K. Wilde, People.com, 11 Jan. 2025
That huge space rock, known as the Chicxulub impactor, is widely believed to have ended the reign of non-avian dinosaurs, altering the planet's climate and paving the way for mammals to rise from the proverbial ashes.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
That makes delaying the issuance of the Final Report until this matter is resolved essential, as there will be no way to put the proverbial cat back into the bag after the Final Report is shared with Congress, and no way to control congressional speech regarding the pending criminal case.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
For Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine, this cold front could prove to be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back in how any cease fire negotiations with Russia might ultimately play out.
—Daniel Markind, Forbes, 7 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 18 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share