so to speak

Idioms  

1. Phrased like this, in a manner of speaking, as in He was, so to speak, the head of the family, although he was only related by marriage to most of the family members. This term originally meant “in the vernacular” or “lower-class language” and was used as an aristocrat's apology for stooping to such use. [Early 1800s] Also see as it were.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

so to speak

The rich are driving the economic bus, so to speak, and the rest of the country is just trying squeeze into the cheap seats.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

"I do believe there is a place to never want to kill the joy, so to speak," said McCullum.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

“But Ramón always finds a way to ‘put the vitamins in the ice cream,’ so to speak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

The catch, so to speak, is that the boats must travel much farther north—to fisheries 220 miles above the Aleutian Islands, the crabbers’ old hunting grounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

The moment I began to write, the plot fell out, so to speak.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright