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
Her entire house is engulfed in flames, and JD is driving off into the proverbial sunset, free of her at last.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
That's because these violations are treated differently in immigration court than in criminal court: Criminal courts exclude evidence that was unconstitutionally obtained, limiting the proverbial fruit from a poisonous tree.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Office spaces have swung on the proverbial pendulum from traditional cubicles to open floor plans in the 2010s.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts finished off an epic year with a proverbial grand slam.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for proverbial 
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Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
That's because these violations are treated differently in immigration court than in criminal court: Criminal courts exclude evidence that was unconstitutionally obtained, limiting the proverbial fruit from a poisonous tree.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Office spaces have swung on the proverbial pendulum from traditional cubicles to open floor plans in the 2010s.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts finished off an epic year with a proverbial grand slam.
—Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2024
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 24 Dec. 2024.
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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