wise guy
Americannoun
noun
-
informal a person who is given to making conceited, sardonic, or insolent comments
-
a member of the Mafia
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wise guy
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
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.
“You wouldn’t hire a wise guy, you wouldn’t hire a made man, like a mobster, to work in a DA’s office.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2024
Mad magazine’s award-winning cartoonist and ageless wise guy who delighted millions of kids with the sneaky fun of the Fold-In and the snark of “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023
Locke has Charlie’s gentle deportment but with the soft edge of a cool-kid wise guy.
From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023
“As a young writer, I was the dandiest, cleverest wit and wise guy — a cinch if one possesses the meager gifts,” he writes.
From Washington Post • Jun. 4, 2020
They hadn’t warned the crowd about illegal punches— and there was always a wise guy out there ready to pull a fast one.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
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.
