Meanings
- Used before or after saying an apt proverb, adage, cliché etc.
Near-synonym: you know what they say
1 more example
The neighborhood, to our ears, seemed haunted by approaching footsteps; and what between the dead body of the captain on the parlor floor, and the thought of that detestable blind beggar hovering near at hand, and ready to return, there were moments when, as the saying goes, I jumped in my skin for terror.
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLCSynonyms: as they say, so they say, you know what they say
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseUsed before or after saying an apt proverb, adage, cliché etc.
Translations
Arabic كما يقول المثل
- كما يقول المثلsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Catalan com diu la dita
- com diu la ditasaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Chinese Mandarin 俗話說 /俗话说, 古諺有云
- 俗話說 /俗话说 (súhuàshuō)said as a lead to a proverb or similar
- 古諺有云 (gǔyànyǒuyún)said as a lead to a proverb or similar
Finnish sanotaan, että
- sanotaansaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- ettäsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- kuten sanotaansaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
French comme dit le proverbe, comme on dit
- comme dit le proverbesaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- comme on ditsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- comme dirait l'autresaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
German wie das Sprichwort sagt
- wie das Sprichwort sagtsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Irish mar a deir an seanfhocal
- mar a deir an seanfhocalsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Italian come dice il detto
- come dice il dettosaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Korean 속담에도 있듯이
- 속담에도 있듯이 (sokdamedo itdeusi)said as a lead to a proverb or similar
Persian به قول معروف
- به قول معروف (be qowl-e ma'ruf)said as a lead to a proverb or similar
Polish jak to się mówi
- jak to się mówisaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Portuguese como diz o ditado
- como diz o ditadosaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Russian как говори́тся, ...
- как говори́тсяsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- ... (kak govorítsja, ...)said as a lead to a proverb or similar
Spanish como dice el dicho, es un decir
- como dice el dichosaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- es un decirsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- vamos al decirsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
- voy al decirsaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Swedish som det heter
- som det hetersaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Tagalog ikanga
- ikangasaid as a lead to a proverb or similar
Ukrainian як то кажуть
- як то кажуть (jak to kažutʹ)said as a lead to a proverb or similar
Cite this entry
as the saying goes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20the%20saying%20goes
“as the saying goes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20the%20saying%20goes. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “as the saying goes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20the%20saying%20goes.
Source: as the saying goes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.