wise guy

Use Wise guy in a sentence

noun

Informal. a cocksure, conceited, and often insolent person; smart aleck: He has a reputation for being a wise guy.

Also called wiseacre.

Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism

Related forms

wise-guy, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

wise guy

—n
1.	informal a person who is given to making conceited, sardonic, or insolent comments
2.	(US) a member of the Mafia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10

Wise guy is always a great word to know.

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an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

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Slang Dictionary

wise guy definition

n.
a foolish person; a smart aleck. (See also smart guy. Also a term of address.) : Look, wise guy, mind your own business!

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

wise guy

An obnoxious know-it-all, a person who makes sarcastic or annoying remarks, as in the teacher was delighted that the worst wise guy in the class was moving out of town. [Slang; second half of 1800s] Also see smart aleck.

Example sentences

Some wise guy had a tape measure with him and took a reading.

At forty he still has something of the smirking manner of the high school wise guy.

Being a wise guy may not always be compatible with campaigning for public office.

As though only a total outsider, or fool, or wise guy would apply such workaday logic to the briefing process.

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Idioms & Phrases

smart aleck

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