Jump To:

• as
  as

  adverb

  to the same degree, amount, or extent; similarly; equally.
• As
  As

  arsenic.
• AS
  AS

  abbreviation

  American Samoa (approved especially for use with zip code).
• as-
  as-

  variant of ad- before s: assert.
• AS.
  AS.

  abbreviation

  Anglo-Saxon.
• A.S.
  A.S.

  abbreviation

  Anglo-Saxon.

as

¹ American  

[az, uhz] / æz, əz /

adverb

1. to the same degree, amount, or extent; similarly; equally.

   I don't think it's as hot and humid today as it was yesterday.

2. for example; for instance.

   Some flowers, as the rose, require special care.

3. thought to be or considered to be.

   the square as distinct from the rectangle; the church as separate from the state.

4. in the manner (directed, agreed, promised, etc.).

   She sang as promised. He left as agreed.

---

conjunction

1. (used correlatively after an adjective or adverb preceded by an adverbial phrase, the adverbial as, or another adverb) to such a degree or extent that.

   It came out the same way as it did before. You are as good as you think you are.

2. (without antecedent) in the degree, manner, etc., of or that.

   She's good as gold. Do as we do.

3. at the same time that; while; when.

   as you look away.

4. since; because.

   As you are leaving last, please turn out the lights.

5. though.

   Questionable as it may be, we will proceed.

6. with the result or purpose.

   He said it in a voice so loud as to make everyone stare.

7. Informal. (in dependent clauses) that.

   I don't know as I do.

8. Midland and Southern U.S. and British Dialect. than.

pronoun

1. (used relatively) that; who; which (usually preceded by such orthe same ).

   I have the same trouble as you had.

2. a fact that.

   She did her job well, as can be proved by the records.

3. New England, Midland, and Southern U.S. who; whom; which; that.

   Them as has gets.

preposition

1. in the role, function, or status of.

   to act as leader.

idioms

1. as such,

   1. as being what is indicated; in that capacity.

      An officer of the law, as such, is entitled to respect.

   2. in itself or in themselves.

      The position, as such, does not appeal to him, but the salary is a lure.

2. as well as. well.

3. as if / though, as it would be if.

   It was as if the world had come to an end.

4. as it were, in a way; so to speak.

   He became, as it were, a man without a country.

5. as is, in whatever condition something happens to be, especially referring to something offered for sale in a flawed, damaged, or used condition.

   We bought the table as is.

6. as well. well.

7. as far as, to the degree or extent that.

   It is an excellent piece of work, as far as I can tell.

8. as yet, up to the present time; until now.

   As yet, no one has thought of a solution.

9. as … as, (used to express similarity or equality in a specified characteristic, condition, etc., as between one person or thing and another).

   as rich as Croesus.

10. as good as,

    1. equivalent to; in effect; practically.

       as good as new.

    2. true to; trustworthy as.

       as good as his word.

11. as for / to, with respect to; in reference to.

    As for staying away, I wouldn't think of it.

12. as of, beginning on; on and after; from.

    This price is effective as of June 23.

13. as long as. long.

14. as how, that; if; whether.

    He allowed as how it was none of my business. I don't know as how I ought to interfere.

15. as regards, with regard or reference to; concerning.

    As regards the expense involved, it is of no concern to him.

as ² American  

[as] / æs /

noun

• asses
  plural

1. a copper coin and early monetary unit of ancient Rome, originally having a nominal weight of a pound of 12 ounces: discontinued c80 b.c.

2. a unit of weight equal to 12 ounces.

---

As ³ American  

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. arsenic.

---

AS ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. American Samoa (approved especially for use with zip code).

2. Anglo-Saxon.

3. antisubmarine.

---

as- ⁵ American  

1. variant of ad- before s: assert.

---

AS. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. Anglo-Saxon.

---

A.S. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. Anglo-Saxon.

2. Associate of Science.

---

as ¹ British  

/ əz, æz /

conjunction

1. (often preceded by just) while; when; at the time that

   he caught me as I was leaving

2. in the way that

   dancing as only she can

3. that which; what

   I did as I was told

4. (of) which fact, event, etc (referring to the previous statement)

   to become wise, as we all know, is not easy

5. in a way; so to speak; as if it were really so

6. 1. a military command to withdraw an order, return to the previous position, etc

   2. a statement to withdraw something just said

7. since; seeing that

   as you're in charge here, you'd better tell me where to wait

8. in the same way that

   he died of cancer, as his father had done

9. in spite of the extent to which

   intelligent as you are, I suspect you will fail

10. for instance

    capital cities, as London

---

adverb

1. 1. used correlatively before an adjective or adverb and before a noun phrase or a clause to indicate identity of extent, amount, etc

      she is as heavy as her sister

      she is as heavy now as she used to be

   2. used with this sense after a noun phrase introduced by the same

      she is the same height as her sister

preposition

1. in the role of; being

   as his friend, I am probably biased

2. with reference to

   as for my past, I'm not telling you anything

3. formal (in expressions of time) from

   fares on all routes will rise as from January 11

4. as it would be if

   he talked as if he knew all about it

5. in the existing state of affairs

   as it is, I shall have difficulty finishing all this work, without any more

6. See per

7. See regard

8. See such

9. See such

10. in a previous state

11. See well 1

12. up to now; so far

    I have received no compensation as yet

AS ² British  

abbreviation

1. Also: A.S.. Anglo-Saxon

2. antisubmarine

3. Australian Standards

---

As ³ British  

symbol

1. chem arsenic

2. altostratus

---

as ⁴ British  

/ æs /

noun

1. an ancient Roman unit of weight approximately equal to 1 pound troy (373 grams)

2. the standard monetary unit and copper coin of ancient Rome

---

as ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. American Samoa

---

Usage

As a conjunction, one sense of as is “because”: As she was bored, Sue left the room. As also has an equally common use in the sense “while, when”: As the parade passed by, the crowd cheered and applauded. These two senses sometimes result in ambiguity: As the gates were closed, he walked away. (When? Because?) As … as is standard in both positive and negative constructions: The fleet was as widely scattered then as it had been at the start of the conflict. Foreign service is not as attractive as it once was. So … as is sometimes used in negative constructions (… not so attractive as it once was ) and in questions ( “What is so rare as a day in June?” ). The phrase as far as generally introduces a clause: As far as money is concerned, the council has exhausted all its resources. In some informal speech and writing, as far as is treated as a preposition and followed only by an object: As far as money, the council has exhausted all its resources. As to as a compound preposition has long been standard though occasionally criticized as a vague substitute for about, of, on, or concerning: We were undecided as to our destination. As to sometimes occurs at the beginning of a sentence, where it introduces an element that would otherwise have less emphasis: As to his salary, that too will be reviewed. As to what and as to whether are sometimes considered redundant but have long been standard: an argument as to what department was responsible. See also all, farther, like ¹, so ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• asses
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of as¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English as, als, alse, also, Old English alswā, ealswā “all so, quite so, quite as, as”; cognate with Middle Dutch alse ( Dutch als ), Old High German alsō ( Middle High German álsō, álse, als, German also “so,” als “as, as if, because”); cf. also

Origin of as²

First recorded 1540–50; from Latin as (also assis ); further origin unknown

---

Explanation

As is an adverb that's usually used to compare one thing to another. You could say, for example, that your cat is as smart as your sister. When you're noting similarities between two things or people, especially when you talk about degree or amount, you'll find yourself using the common adverb as. You might complain that it's as hot as heck, or express disappointment that your homemade casserole doesn't taste as good as when your mom makes it. As comes from the Old English alswā, "similarly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

as As AS as- AS. A.S. asses

The liens can also capture funds directly from credit-card processors and payment platforms such as DoorDash and Stripe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

“I tried to keep the business alive for as long as I could,” Jauregui said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

A second aircraft carrier, an amphibious assault ship and more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers are also involved in the effort, as well as aircraft and drones staged across the Middle East, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Jauregui turned to merchant cash advances—MCAs for short—a legal, largely unregulated financing industry marketed on social media as a business lifeline: Cash in 24 hours or less.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

In 1922, Hans resigned from the Marine Corps and secured a position as an anthropologist.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

As MCA funders drained Triways’s bank accounts, Jauregui and his wife, Jackie Jauregui, juggled bills, worked harder and hoped the business would grow fast enough to turn the corner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

As a rule of thumb, the skins of fruit and veg pack more fibre than the insides.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

As the season entered its final stretch, Zverev achieved what many thought was impossible by securing the year-end number one ranking when Alcaraz lost in Shanghai on 12 October.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

As Stewart was finishing secondary school, Dormand encouraged the 14-year-old to consider drama school and a career as an actor, but he demurred, saying people like him didn’t become professional actors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

As he rode along, he was planning to follow the innkeeper's advice to the letter.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

Three AS Solution executives took plea deals in 2020 and were convicted of misdemeanor conspiracy charges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

The AS 350 B2, Cress said, is a reliable model and popular across the globe with a good safety record.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

She did well in last year's AS results so feels hopeful.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

"Kylian was already one step ahead of many other players at AS Bondy," Viyanga said.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

AS YOU MAY KNOW, “ALMA MATER” is a Latin phrase that means “nourishing mother.”

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood

There's a lot of emphasis on treatment as- as well as simply law enforcement.

From Scientific American ● Apr. 20, 2023

The business manages spend as best it can by tightening up rounds, so travel time and distance are minimised, as well as- trying new methods of transport.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2022

However logical that as- sumption might seem, it was being undermined with empirical assiduity almost half a continent away in New Orleans.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week the Rev. Mr. Straton made still more difficult the task of definers by as- suming "the headship of all the religious activities of the Supreme Kingdom."

From Time Magazine Archive

And the smaller oak and maple trees, which from Dr. Hyde’s classroom had been invisible beneath the more majestic pines, showed hints of an as- yet-thermally-unforeseeable fall: Their still-green leaves were beginning to droop.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Icel. blotna to become soft, blautr soft, wet, Sw. bl”t soft, bl”ta to soak; akin to G. bloss bare, and AS. ble t wretched; or perh. fr. root of Eng. 5th blow.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster

Gr. ? is prob. akin to L. fundere to pour, Goth. guitan, AS. ge¢tan, to pour, and so to E. fuse.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Noah Webster

AS. be g, be h, bracelet, collar, crown, OS ÿb?g- in comp.,

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster

For queen is the phonetic equivalent of AS. cwén, Goth. kwēns, whereas quean represents AS. cwĕne, Goth. kwĭno.

From A Concise Dictionary of Middle English From A.D. 1150 to 1580 by A. L. (Anthony Lawson) Mayhew

AS. blondenÏfeax grayÏhaired, old, prop. blendedÏhaired, as a mixture of white and brown or black.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster

In 1937, the entrepreneur—whose company was simply called Ben Cooper Inc.—bought another company, A.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

The doctor ordered physical therapy, A.S. said, but medical records show he didn’t receive any.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Soon after the initial share purchase, four payments left her bank account in the space of a week and were paid to a "Mr A.S."

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2024

The paintings completely covering the walls of the main and private dining rooms are modeled after the life of Czar Saltan, who reigned in 1200 A.D., as told by A.S.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

This form ousted the older A.S. sind, sindon.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

In lieu of warning Europe to evacuate, they pray and make a plan to cover their asses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

It is aimed at helping families asses the quality of care provided in a home.

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2025

“We didn’t come cross-country to get our asses kicked. We came here to play our best baseball game, and our guys will be ready to go.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 23, 2023

He acknowledged that it’s been difficult to asses his own situation and future while trying to keep his young team in playoff contention.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 22, 2023

He said something back, something that was so funny we stopped with the balloons for like ten minutes and just lay on the gravel rooftop laughing our asses off.

From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• equally
• similarly
• to the same degree

---