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 D.A.’s office.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
In 2012, McGrath won the Tony for best actor in a featured musical role playing wise guy Cookie McGee in “Nice Work If You Can Get It” starring Matthew Broderick and Kelli O’Hara.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 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
He’s a wise guy throughout, and short on insight but packed with silliness mostly based on reacting to stuff on the screen.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 30, 2022
He gave me a sideways look as if to say “Oh, a wise guy, huh?” and said suddenly, decisively, “I think maybe I’d better take your name.”
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
