word to the wise
A brief piece of advice.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“A word to the wise: check the weather before you leave.”
“A word to the wise, you should probably finish that report before the meeting starts.”
“As a word to the wise, he suggested that she diversify her investments before the market became too volatile.”
A shortening of the longer proverb, "A word to the wise is sufficient." The phrase entered English as a translation of the Latin *verbum sapienti sat est*, a sentiment recording the economy of speech required when addressing an audience of sound judgement.
- 01
bad word
A vulgar word.
- 02
breathe a word
To divulge even part of a secret (usually used with a negative).
- 03
dicky
[Cockney slang]word
- 04
dirty word
The name of a topic that a person prefers not to hear or discuss.
- 05
empty words
Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content but is actually vapid.
- 06
from the word go
From the very beginning; from the outset; immediately upon starting.
- 07
get the word out
To make some information more widely known.
- 08
hang on every word
To be completely attentive to what another person is saying.
Last updated August 10, 2026