so to speak

idiom

—used to indicate that one is using words in an unusual or figurative way rather than a literal way

We need to be all on the same wavelength, so to speak.

Examples of so to speak in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Such old-style trickery is, so to speak, nothing new; for some self-regarding auteurs, twiddling with aspect ratios has become a formalist signature. —

Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024 Kansas senior center Hunter Dickinson, who dislocated his right shoulder two weeks ago yet was able to play in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, shouldered the blame, so to speak, after the Jayhawks’ 89-68 second-round NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional loss to Gonzaga on Saturday afternoon at Delta Center. —

Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2024 So that one bit isn’t going to tell you how to put the qubit, so to speak, on the globe at some definite latitude and longitude. —

Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Related Stories In the intervening years, however, Gad found his voice, so to speak. —

Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024 When the immune system is weakened — by certain medications or other illnesses like diabetes and HIV — the TB wakes up, so to speak. —

Mike Stobbe, The Denver Post, 30 Mar. 2024 Apple ended up that case, but there could be some prior art there, so to speak, that helps support the DOJ's case. —

Michael Calore Lauren Goode, WIRED, 28 Mar. 2024 Throughout his life, Edwards has been such a major-impact player, so to speak. —

USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024 Gordon’s failure to brunch, so to speak, could be chalked up, at least in part, to being intimidated: Sophie is a gifted chef. —

Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024

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