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• now
  now

  adverb

  at the present time or moment.
• NOW
  NOW

  noun

  National Organization for Women.

now

¹ American  

[nou] / naʊ /

adverb

1. at the present time or moment.

   You are now using a dictionary.

2. without further delay; immediately; at once.

   Either do it now or not at all.

3. at this time or juncture in some period under consideration or in some course of proceedings described.

   The case was now ready for the jury.

4. at the time or moment immediately past.

   I saw him just now on the street.

5. in these present times; nowadays.

   Now you rarely see horse-drawn carriages.

6. under the present or existing circumstances; as matters stand.

   I see now what you meant.

7. (used to introduce a statement or question).

   Now, you don't really mean that.

8. (used to strengthen a command, entreaty, or the like).

   Now stop that!

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conjunction

1. inasmuch as; since.

   Now you're here, why not stay for dinner?

noun

1. the present time or moment.

   Up to now no one has volunteered.

adjective

1. up-to-the-minute; encompassing the latest ideas, fads, or fashions.

   the now look; the now generation.

idioms

1. now and again, occasionally. Also now and then.

2. now that, inasmuch as; since.

   Now that she is rich and famous, she is constantly being besieged by appeals for aid.

NOW ² American  

[nou] / naʊ /

noun

1. National Organization for Women.

---

now British  

/ naʊ /

adverb

1. at or for the present time or moment

2. at this exact moment; immediately

3. in these times; nowadays

4. given the present circumstances

   now we'll have to stay to the end

5. (preceded by just) very recently

   he left just now

6. (often preceded by just) very soon

   he is leaving just now

7. occasionally; on and off

8. for the time being

9. (interjection) an exclamation used to rebuke or pacify someone

10. 1. (sentence connector) used to preface an important remark, the next step in an argument, etc

    2. (interjection) an expression of mild reproof

       now then, don't tease!

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conjunction

1. seeing that; since it has become the case that

   now you're in charge, things will be better

1. 1. used as a transitional particle or hesitation word

      now, I can't really say

   2. used for emphasis

      now listen to this

   3. used at the end of a command, esp in dismissal

      run along, now

noun

1. the present moment or time

   now is the time to go

adjective

1. informal of the moment; fashionable

   the now look is street fashion

now More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing now

• any day (now)
• every now and then
• here and now
• just now

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Other Word Forms

• nowness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of now

First recorded before 900; 1965–70 now for def. 11; Middle English; Old English nū, cognate with Old Norse, Gothic nū; akin to German nun, Latin num, Sanskrit nu, Greek nú, nûn

Explanation

Think of now as being the immediate present, the moment you are currently in. It’s part of the elusive concept of time, and each now, as it passes, becomes "then" even as it is replaced by a new now. If someone calls to ask you what you are doing and you reply that you've been waiting tables but you hope to be a movie star and in fact you've saved almost enough bus fare to make it to Hollywood . . . they might interrupt you to explain: "I mean what are you doing right now." In which case you might reply that you're cooking some noodles. If you do something "every now and then," you don't do it all the time but every once in a while.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

now NOW

"The good news is that there have been major advances over the last few years, which mean there are now several simple treatments that can substantially lower the risk of both cardiovascular and kidney complications."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

For now, she continues to straddle two worlds, running a household in Ukraine and earning her online living abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Or, of course, they may just be calling it Bond 26 for now.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Right now, at lunchtime, it is relatively quiet and the storms have yet to affect major routes.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

But for now, she is just a little girl with a big imagination, stepping through the grass in the hot, humid air.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Guest: Catherine Rampell, economics editor at The Bulwark, author of the Receipts and anchor at MS NOW.

From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026

"It is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and must be stopped, NOW."

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Versant-owned channel announced Wednesday that the service, called MS NOW Membership, will also provide an array of digital offerings in addition to a live stream of TV programming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

The company, which is home to cable networks CNBC, MS NOW and E!, on Thursday said it now expects annual revenue to be $6.2 billion to $6.45 billion, while analysts are estimating $6.41 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

I stand up fast Then we have to go NOW because it takes almost nine minutes to get to school.

From "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine

Related Words

• today