How to Use proverbial in a Sentence

proverbial

adjective
  • This put both men on the proverbial map.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
  • But where should that proverbial line be drawn?
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Their backs were against the proverbial wall.
    — Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
  • Talk about the proverbial dog who caught up to the mail truck.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
  • The walls may be white, but this is the proverbial glass house.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023
  • Gabriel The proverbial four-point play.
    — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Those are always on my proverbial desk in my life.
    — Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
  • Let’s go over some of the many, many ways this show drops the proverbial ball.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Which is not to say that the show is out of the proverbial deep, dark woods yet.
    — Judy Berman, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024
  • And that cannot be swept under the proverbial rug.
    — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
  • And some feel stuck between a proverbial rock and a hard place.
    — Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 27 Jan. 2025
  • They were placed between a proverbial rock and a hard place.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
  • These are the proverbial eyes and ears of the self-driving car.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2021
  • But what happens when both halves wear the proverbial trousers?
    — Grace McCloud, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2023
  • Those deals are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, though.
    — Imani Moise, WSJ, 24 Nov. 2022
  • All three have the proverbial green light on the perimeter.
    — Noah Furtado, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Indeed, all of these are and should be part of the proverbial plan.
    — Tim Maurer, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
  • In one sense, this is book is like the proverbial box of chocolates.
    — Michael Hill, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2019
  • The seas are warming at a rate that could boil alive the proverbial toad.
    — Meghan O'Gieblyn, Wired, 6 Jan. 2022
  • And those things hardened their proverbial steak, too.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Much proverbial ink has been spilled on the question of what to do about this.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • It’s trapped in that proverbial tackle box.
    — Hannah Gold, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Six years later, that proverbial knock came.
    — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
  • The proverbial one for the future.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 May 2026
  • 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
  • Carol made it across the proverbial pond in a tiny little plane.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The Ravens are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
    — Mike Preston, baltimoresun.com, 25 Oct. 2021
  • That led to an initial jam session to check the proverbial vibes.
    — Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 16 Feb. 2024
  • The Minecraft servers were the proverbial canary in the coal mine.
    — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 12 Dec. 2021
  • The Ravens were caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
    — Mike Preston, baltimoresun.com, 6 Oct. 2020

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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