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• now
  now

  adverb

  at the present time or moment.
• NOW
  NOW

  noun

  National Organization for Women.

now

¹ American  

[nau] / 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  

[nau] / naʊ /

noun

1. National Organization for Women.

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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

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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

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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

"There's still a real need for new cholesterol-lowering options, since some people can't get to safe levels even with the drugs we have now," said Saltiel.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

It also means there will be more light in the mornings now, and it will get dark earlier in the evening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

They're now the subject of one of Silicon Valley's most heated debates.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

While many will welcome the extra sleep, others may have hoped we’d have seen an end to this twice-annual clock changing practice by now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026

But it’s only two blocks, and I would give anything to get out of my head right now.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Uday joins other clinicians and academics who have formed a group - ACT NOW Vitamin D - calling for the threshold at which you are classified as deficient to be raised.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

“Getting behind the podium is tough, but she got off on the wrong foot,” an administration official texted an MS NOW reporter after Zacharia’s debut.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

On Thursday, CNN, MS NOW and Politico appeared in a downtown Washington court to urge a federal judge to extend their White House access.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Jen Psaki, landed her own program on MS NOW in 2023 after two years behind the briefing room lectern for President Biden.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

AND NOW he stood at the end of the long part of the lake and was not the same, would not be die same again.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

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