Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Sancho Panza

American  
[san-choh pan-zuh, sahn-chaw pahn-thah] / ˈsæn tʃoʊ ˈpæn zə, ˈsɑn tʃɔ ˈpɑn θɑ /

noun

  1. the credulous and amusing squire of Don Quixote.


Sancho Panza Cultural  
  1. In Don Quixote, the down-to-Earth peasant who accompanies the idealistic, deluded Don on his adventures. Sancho is a delightful coward, more interested in material comfort and safety than in performing courageous acts.


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.

See Examples For:

But Sophie Cunningham has let the state turn her into a combination of Sancho Panza and Don Quixote, willing to joust with a windmill.

From Salon Aug. 9, 2026

A disillusioned advertising executive is pulled into a time-jumping fantasy when he is mistaken for Sancho Panza.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 27, 2020

Referring to the PM's comments, the minutes add: "We did not pursue our self-interest with the ruthless determination of the US and France. We had tended to play Sancho Panza to the US Don Quixote."

From BBC Dec. 30, 2019

But they weren’t like Quixote and Sancho Panza.

From The Guardian Oct. 5, 2019

"Are you, by chance, that Sancho Panza to whom his master promised an island to govern?"

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training