- in a manner of speaking
- phrasal
see in a manner
* * *
used for saying that something is generally correct, but not exactly‘So are you retired now?’ ‘In a manner of speaking, yes. But I still do some work.’
Thesaurus: inexact and inaccuratesynonymMain entry: manner* * *
in some sense; so to speak* * *
in a manner of speaking— used to say that a statement is true or accurate in a certain way even if it is not literally or completely trueHis retirement was, in a manner of speaking, the beginning of his real career.
After the storm destroyed their house, they were, in a manner of speaking [=so to speak, as it were], lost at sea. [=they felt lost and confused after their house was destroyed]
• • •Main Entry: ↑manner————————in a manner of speaking — see ↑manner• • •Main Entry: ↑speak* * *
in a manner of ˈspeaking idiomif you think about it in a particular way; true in some but not all ways•
All these points of view are related, in a manner of speaking.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.