as

1
[ az; unstressed uhz ]
See synonyms for as on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. thought to be or considered to be: the square as distinct from the rectangle; the church as separate from the state.

  2. 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.

  1. at the same time that; while; when: as you look away.

  2. since; because: As you are leaving last, please turn out the lights.

  3. though: Questionable as it may be, we will proceed.

  4. with the result or purpose: He said it in a voice so loud as to make everyone stare.

  5. Informal. (in dependent clauses) that: I don't know as I do.

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

pronoun
  1. (used relatively) that; who; which (usually preceded by such or the 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.

  1. 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 about as

  1. 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.

  2. as far as, to the degree or extent that: It is an excellent piece of work, as far as I can tell.

  1. as for / to, with respect to; in reference to: As for staying away, I wouldn't think of it.

  2. as good as,

    • equivalent to; in effect; practically: as good as new.

    • true to; trustworthy as: as good as his word.

  3. as how, Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. that; if; whether: He allowed as how it was none of my business. I don't know as how I ought to interfere.

  4. as if / though, as it would be if: It was as if the world had come to an end.

  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 it were, in a way; so to speak: He became, as it were, a man without a country.

  7. as long as. long1 (def. 37).

  8. as of, beginning on; on and after; from: This price is effective as of June 23.

  9. as regards, with regard or reference to; concerning: As regards the expense involved, it is of no concern to him.

  10. as such,

    • as being what is indicated; in that capacity: An officer of the law, as such, is entitled to respect.

    • in itself or in themselves: The position, as such, does not appeal to him, but the salary is a lure.

  11. as well. well1 (def. 18).

  12. as well as. well1 (def. 19).

  13. as yet, up to the present time; until now: As yet, no one has thought of a solution.

Origin of as

1
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

usage note For as

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?)
Asas 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. Soas 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, like1, so1.

Other definitions for as (2 of 8)

as2
[ as ]

noun,plural as·ses [as-iz]. /ˈæs ɪz/.
  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.

Origin of as

2
First recorded 1540–50; from Latin as (also assis ); further origin unknown

Other definitions for As (3 of 8)

As

Symbol, Chemistry.

Other definitions for AS (4 of 8)

AS

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

Other definitions for as- (5 of 8)

as-

  1. variant of ad- before s: assert.

Other definitions for AS. (6 of 8)

AS.

abbreviation
  1. Anglo-Saxon.

Other definitions for A.S. (7 of 8)

A.S.

abbreviation
  1. Anglo-Saxon.

Other definitions for A.-S. (8 of 8)

A.-S.

abbreviation
  1. Anglo-Saxon.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use as in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for as (1 of 5)

as1

/ (æz, unstressed əz) /


conjunction(subordinating)
  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

  1. that which; what: I did as I was told

  2. (of) which fact, event, etc (referring to the previous statement): to become wise, as we all know, is not easy

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

  4. as you were

    • a military command to withdraw an order, return to the previous position, etc

    • a statement to withdraw something just said

  5. since; seeing that: as you're in charge here, you'd better tell me where to wait

  6. in the same way that: he died of cancer, as his father had done

  7. in spite of the extent to which: intelligent as you are, I suspect you will fail

  8. for instance: capital cities, as London

adverb, conjunction
    • 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

    • 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. as for or as to with reference to: as for my past, I'm not telling you anything

  1. as from or as of formal (in expressions of time) from: fares on all routes will rise as from January 11

  2. as if or as though as it would be if: he talked as if he knew all about it

  3. as is or as it is in the existing state of affairs: as it is, I shall have difficulty finishing all this work, without any more

  4. as per See per (def. 3)

  5. as regards See regard (def. 6)

  6. as such See such (def. 3)

  7. such as See such (def. 5)

  8. as was in a previous state

  9. as well See well 1 (def. 13)

  10. as yet up to now; so far: I have received no compensation as yet

Origin of as

1
Old English alswā likewise; see also

as

British Dictionary definitions for as (2 of 5)

as2

/ (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

Origin of as

2
C17: from Latin ās unity, probably of Etruscan origin

British Dictionary definitions for as (3 of 5)

as3

the internet domain name for
  1. American Samoa

British Dictionary definitions for As (4 of 5)

As

symbol for
  1. chem arsenic

  2. altostratus

British Dictionary definitions for AS (5 of 5)

AS

abbreviation for
  1. Also: A.S. Anglo-Saxon

  2. antisubmarine

  1. Australian Standards

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for As

As

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.