as
adverb
as
1 American
[az, uhz]
/ æz, əz /
adverb
-
to the same degree, amount, or extent; similarly; equally.
I don't think it's as hot and humid today as it was yesterday.
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for example; for instance.
Some flowers, as the rose, require special care.
-
thought to be or considered to be.
the square as distinct from the rectangle; the church as separate from the state.
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in the manner (directed, agreed, promised, etc.).
She sang as promised. He left as agreed.
conjunction
-
(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.
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(without antecedent) in the degree, manner, etc., of or that.
She's good as gold. Do as we do.
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at the same time that; while; when.
as you look away.
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since; because.
As you are leaving last, please turn out the lights.
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though.
Questionable as it may be, we will proceed.
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with the result or purpose.
He said it in a voice so loud as to make everyone stare.
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Informal. (in dependent clauses) that.
I don't know as I do.
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Midland and Southern U.S. and British Dialect. than.
pronoun
-
(used relatively) that; who; which (usually preceded by such orthe same ).
I have the same trouble as you had.
-
a fact that.
She did her job well, as can be proved by the records.
-
New England, Midland, and Southern U.S. who; whom; which; that.
Them as has gets.
preposition
idioms
-
as such,
-
as being what is indicated; in that capacity.
An officer of the law, as such, is entitled to respect.
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in itself or in themselves.
The position, as such, does not appeal to him, but the salary is a lure.
-
-
as well as. well.
-
as if / though, as it would be if.
It was as if the world had come to an end.
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as it were, in a way; so to speak.
He became, as it were, a man without a country.
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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.
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as well. well.
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as far as, to the degree or extent that.
It is an excellent piece of work, as far as I can tell.
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as yet, up to the present time; until now.
As yet, no one has thought of a solution.
-
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.
-
as good as,
-
equivalent to; in effect; practically.
as good as new.
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true to; trustworthy as.
as good as his word.
-
-
as for / to, with respect to; in reference to.
As for staying away, I wouldn't think of it.
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as of, beginning on; on and after; from.
This price is effective as of June 23.
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as long as. long.
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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.
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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
-
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.
-
a unit of weight equal to 12 ounces.
As
3
American
Symbol, Chemistry.
AS
4
American
as-
5
American
AS.
6
American
abbreviation
A.S.
7
American
as
1
British
/ əz, æz /
conjunction
-
(often preceded by just) while; when; at the time that
he caught me as I was leaving
-
in the way that
dancing as only she can
-
that which; what
I did as I was told
-
(of) which fact, event, etc (referring to the previous statement)
to become wise, as we all know, is not easy
-
in a way; so to speak; as if it were really so
-
-
a military command to withdraw an order, return to the previous position, etc
-
a statement to withdraw something just said
-
-
since; seeing that
as you're in charge here, you'd better tell me where to wait
-
in the same way that
he died of cancer, as his father had done
-
in spite of the extent to which
intelligent as you are, I suspect you will fail
-
for instance
capital cities, as London
adverb
preposition
-
in the role of; being
as his friend, I am probably biased
-
with reference to
as for my past, I'm not telling you anything
-
formal (in expressions of time) from
fares on all routes will rise as from January 11
-
as it would be if
he talked as if he knew all about it
-
in the existing state of affairs
as it is, I shall have difficulty finishing all this work, without any more
-
See per
-
See regard
-
See such
-
See such
-
in a previous state
-
See well 1
-
up to now; so far
I have received no compensation as yet
AS
2
British
abbreviation
-
Also: A.S.. Anglo-Saxon
-
antisubmarine
-
Australian Standards
As
3
British
symbol
-
chem arsenic
-
altostratus
as
4
British
/ æs /
noun
-
an ancient Roman unit of weight approximately equal to 1 pound troy (373 grams)
-
the standard monetary unit and copper coin of ancient Rome
as
5
British
abbreviation
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing as
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sitting across from Holmes, Fielder said, he found her “sort of honest and charming,” even as his brain was warning him, “No, don’t trust.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Dambrauskas says he had known since the age of 12 he would not make it as a player, but coaching would keep him close to football.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Fielder said the relationship grew strained as Evans tried to exert greater control over the project.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Sabah will host Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Napoli, and face a trip to Villarreal - as well as the visits to England.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Joey holds her breath as he reaches inside the basket.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
As well as the trip to Manchester United this week, Sabah will complete their Champions League group games at Arsenal in January.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
As word has spread, SinoUnited Hospital says it has welcomed patients from MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
As tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams prepare to take the court at the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
As exit polls put the Alternative for Germany's vote share at a thumping 44 percent, jubilant scenes erupted at a post-election party in Magdeburg, capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
As long as everyone involved talked slow, careful.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
He has held ownership stakes in Italy’s AS Roma and Welsh club Swansea City and has served MLS as co-chair of the league’s sporting and competition committee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
For the past three seasons, he has played his club soccer for AS Monaco, where he has 24 goals in 72 appearances—and made himself an automatic selection for the national team.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
One AS level maths paper will use assessed marks, and a second will have a replacement exam in early June.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
I booked the AS Boutique Hotel in Slovenia because it was part of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a Hyatt partner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 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
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
On that as- sumption the U. S. Senate last summer began looking into air and ocean mail contracts.
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
AS. bere is akin to Icel, barr barley, Goth. barizeins made of barley, L. far spelt; cf.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
The root is prob. the same as that of AS. bl?wan,
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
Icel. agi; akin to AS. ege, ?ga, Goth. agis, Dan. ave chastisement, fear, Gr. ? pain, distress, from the same root as E. ail.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
AS. bracce fern, LG. brake willow bush, Da. bregne fern, G. brach fallow; prob. orig. the growth on rough, broken ground, fr. the root of E. break.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
AS. begeondan, prep. and adv.; pref. beÏ + geond yond, yonder.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Noah Webster
“They knew about my situation — there were requests asking to be seen, there were complaints I had filed, so it’s not like they didn’t know,” A.S. said.
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
Mr. Totti — one of the most celebrated players of his generation and the most beloved player in A.S.
From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2022
Coming to names apparently from fishes, I question very much whether Fiske and Fish are from A.S. fisc, pisces, though Foerstemann, in default of a better, gives that meaning in an ancient name, Fisculf.
From Surnames as a Science by Robert Ferguson
He said it was too early to asses the long-term impact but if prices remained high, "cabbies are going to have to work longer hours to make the money up".
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
“We’re in the studio making the saddest music ever and we’re just laughing our asses off the whole time,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2024
“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
I knew then the rumors were true and we had precious little time to get our Indigenous asses out of the house and into the shadows.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
