as it were

Idioms  

1. Seemingly, in a way, as in He was living in a dream world, as it were. A shortening of “as if it were so,” this idiom has been in use since Chaucer's time (he had it in his Nun's Priest's Tale, c. 1386). Also see so to speak.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

as it were

With that said, Storrie’s “SNL” nomination is the voters’ way of signaling they’re down to come to the cottage, as it were.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

And whatever their failures are, that ends up being their ruling attribute to their poker game, as it were.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026

But Mr. Sachs instead sticks to the script, as it were, delivering something in the “My Dinner With Andre” tradition of two people simply talking to each other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

The latest evidence for the prosecution, as it were, comes from the Social Security rolls, which show that record numbers of people are now claiming monthly benefits.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025

“On the job,” as it were, I am called Eva Seiler.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein