proverb

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noun (1)

prov·erb ˈprä-ˌvərb

: a brief popular epigram or maxim : adage

: byword sense 4

proverb

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verb

proverbed; proverbing; proverbs

transitive verb

: to speak of proverbially

obsolete : to provide with a proverb

pro-verb

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˈprō-ˌvərb

-ˈvərb

: a form of the verb do used to avoid repetition of a verb (such as do in "act as I do")

Example Sentences

Noun (1) her grandfather has a proverb for every occasion

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Good fences make good neighbors, so the proverb goes.

Kelly Ryan Kegans, Country Living, 28 Sep. 2022 What a perfect proverb of his production philosophy, in one line.

Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2022 Working together, the anonymous potter and calligrapher lived the wisdom of the proverb and created an object of ageless, surpassing beauty.

Helen A. Cooper, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 In a rare reflective mood during an address to the Commonwealth leaders in 2011 in Perth, Australia, Elizabeth summoned an Aboriginal proverb to express her feelings.

Adrian Higgins, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2022 As Poison once instructed in the final breath of the ’80s, every rose has its thorn, and the modern K-pop sensation Blackpink would like to capitalize on that proverb.

Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 19 Aug. 2022 The exacting demands of rendering such a script onto a curving surface makes the proverb on the Met’s bowl seems especially self-referential: the admonition to plan before undertaking work is applicable to the calligrapher himself.

Helen A. Cooper, WSJ, 5 Aug. 2022 An old English proverb says there’s no substitute for experience, and racing drivers tend to agree.

Dave Kallmann, Journal Sentinel, 10 June 2022 Co-author Heiko Prümers, of the German Archaeological Institute, references an old Spanish proverb asserting no one is so blind as the one who doesn’t want to see.

Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'proverb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.