well-known
Americanadjective
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clearly or fully known.
The well-known reasons are obvious.
-
generally or widely known.
a well-known painting.
- Synonyms:
- celebrated, noted, famous, prominent
adjective
-
widely known; famous; celebrated
-
known fully or clearly
Etymology
Origin of well-known
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75
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.
It’s going to be fun tracking the progress of first-year football coaches this season because there are so many at well-known programs.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
The research by the universities of Sussex and Exeter found microplastics in 16 out of the 19 brands that were tested, including "very well-known ones".
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
Founded in 2005, this Taiwanese operation has quickly grown into a well-known, well-loved single-malt producer, with bottles ranging from $100 to over $1,000.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026
One well-known example is the "cat state," where an oscillator exists as a superposition of two wave packets moving in opposite directions.
From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026
A number of well-known doctors had abandoned their patients and scampered to safer air; ten others had died, while still more were ill and could not receive patients.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
