How to Use proverbial in a Sentence

proverbial

adjective
Definition of proverbialnext
  • The walls may be white, but this is the proverbial glass house.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023
  • The Minecraft servers were the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
    — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 12 Dec. 2021
  • But now the proverbial brush—read: the phone—is in our hand.
    — Tom Rasmussen, Vogue, 18 May 2022
  • To get back on the proverbial horse (whose name is Tiffany).
    — Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
  • When Shanae returns to the group, the poop hits the proverbial fan.
    — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2022
  • Those deals are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, though.
    — Imani Moise, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2022
  • The proverbial storm started in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic.
    — Hansa Bhargava, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2022
  • Which is not to say that the show is out of the proverbial deep, dark woods yet.
    — Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
  • The Ravens are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
    — Mike Preston, baltimoresun.com, 25 Oct. 2021
  • But back in the days when Covid was rampant, the fate of the five-song suite was up in the proverbial air.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2024
  • Indeed, all of these are and should be part of the proverbial plan.
    — Tim Maurer, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
  • The seas are warming at a rate that could boil alive the proverbial toad.
    — Meghan O'Gieblyn, Wired, 6 Jan. 2022
  • Now comes the hard work of threading the proverbial needle.
    — Matt Laslo, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2023
  • Just like that, the Missouri Tigers’ backs are against the proverbial wall.
    — Kansas City Star, 18 May 2024
  • But how to separate the proverbial blender wheat from the chaff?
    — Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 1 Feb. 2023
  • Much proverbial ink has been spilled on the question of what to do about this.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • The line-ups at their proverbial door start to decrease.
    — Christine Dagenais, Forbes, 10 June 2021
  • Any proverbial skeletons that may have been missed will emerge in the days and weeks to come.
    — Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2024
  • Gospel has flourished in the church; trap music in the proverbial streets.
    — Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 20 June 2024
  • But what happens when both halves wear the proverbial trousers?
    — Grace McCloud, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
  • That led to an initial jam session to check the proverbial vibes.
    — Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 16 Feb. 2024
  • The injury represents a proverbial kick in the teeth for the team, franchise and fans.
    — oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Chaves was thrown under the proverbial bus and was named as the sole leaker.
    — Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 29 May 2021
  • For the first time since before the 2001 season, Belichick is on the proverbial hot seat.
    — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2023
  • Like many of the Studio 54 crowd, Peretti often danced on the lip of the proverbial volcano.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 18 May 2021
  • My ethos was to be a proverbial sledgehammer to the door that people have to knock on.
    — Neena Rouhani, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2022
  • On Friday, 145 pounds came out of the proverbial hat to start all four matches.
    — J. Daniel Pearson, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Jan. 2023
  • Like the proverbial low-hanging fruit, job prospects were ripe for the picking.
    — Phil Blair, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2021
  • Vanessa Paradis is why the proverbial doors were opened for her.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Their father, an airline pilot, went out for the proverbial pack of cigarettes and never returned, as the saying goes.
    — EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proverbial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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