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Definitions

so to speak

CONJUNCTION
as if
Synonyms
WEAK
as it were as it would be as might be in such a way that just as just as if just as though
CONJUNCTION
as though
Synonyms
WEAK
as it were as it would be as might be in such a way that just as just as if just as though

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The first shot, so to speak, came in Anthropic’s conflict with the Pentagon after the company refused to have its technology used for fully autonomous killer drone storms and the mass surveillance of Americans.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

All these are not specific to fascism, but they certainly do belong in the fascist mixture, so to speak.

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2026

For theme parks, after all, can jump the shark, so to speak.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Yet in choosing to end at the beginning, so to speak, and focus on the early Cold War, Mr. Grace avoids having to assess how the new arrangement subsequently performed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

When I set sail, so to speak, I too assumed that the world was round, but what I encountered in the real India profoundly shook my faith in that notion.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman