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.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

so to speak

"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

"Parents have, so to speak, taken power over the schools and started reporting things. Except that not everything they report is necessarily accurate," said Carla Bonnet of the FO union.

From BBC ● May 25, 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

Turning to Tiamat, he noticed that the dragon-let was favoring her right wing —flying with a limp, so to speak.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville