you know

Idioms  

1. You are aware, you see, do you remember, as in She's very lonely, you know, so do go and visit, or You know, this exhibit ends tomorrow, or You know that black dog our neighbors had? She was run over a year ago. This phrase is also quite often a conversational filler, equivalent to “um” and occasionally repeated over and over (as in It's a fine day for, you know, the beach, and, you know, we could leave now); this usage is more oral than written, and many consider it deplorable. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

In a euphemism for the ages, Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego said Mr. Platner had “lived a very, you know, real experience.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

I bet you know quite a few of these people.

From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026

"I don't know how you can sleep at night peacefully when you know that this is going on and you have nothing to say about it."

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026

And now, you know, I found the last, you know, 10 years or something, has just totally changed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

“But, son, tell me this. Why do you look so surprised? Didn’t you know we were coming?”

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck