to the same degree or amount; equally:It costs three times as much.
for example:a number of spring flowers, as the tulip.
thought or considered to be:the square as distinct from the rectangle.
in the manner indicated:She sang as promised.
conj.
to the same degree or extent that: I like to do as I please.
in the degree or manner of; in the same degree or manner that:Do as we do.
at the same time that; while; when:Pay as you enter.
since; because:As you are leaving last, lock the door.
though:Strange as it seems, it is true.
[so + adjective+ ~+ to+ verb] that the result or effect was:His voice was so loud as to make everyone stare.
pron.
[the same + ~] that; who; which:I have the same trouble as you had.
a fact that:She spoke the truth, as can be proved.
prep.
in the role, function, job, or status of:to act as leader.
to the same degree or extent that:Quick as a flash he was out the door.
by way of; for (a reason):I bought you this toy as a special treat.
Idioms
Idiomsas … as,[~ + adjective/adverb+ ~] (used to express similarity or equality between one person or thing and another):She is as rich as Croesus (= She and Croesus are equally or similarly rich).
Idiomsas far as, to the degree or extent that:It is an excellent plan, as far as I can tell.
Idiomsas for or as to, with respect to; about; concerning:As for staying away, I wouldn't think of it.
Idiomsas good as:
equivalent to:It now works as good as new.
true to; trustworthy as:He has always been as good as his word.
Idiomsas if or as though, as it would be if:It was as if the world had come to an end.
Idiomsas is, in whatever condition something is in when offered, esp. if damaged:You must buy the car as is.
Idiomsas it were, in a way; so to speak:He became, as it were, a man without a country.
Idiomsas of, beginning on; on and after; from:This price is effective as of next Sunday.
Idiomsas such:
as being what is indicated; in that capacity; because of what someone or something is:An officer of the law, as such, is entitled to respect (= An officer of the law, because he or she is an officer of the law, is entitled to respect).
in itself or in themselves:The job, as such, does not appeal to me. (= The job, being the kind of job it is, does not appeal to me.)
Idiomsas yet, up to the present time:I don't, as yet, have a decent salary.
to the same degree, amount, or extent; similarly; equally:I don't think it's as hot and humid today as it was yesterday.
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.
in the manner (directed, agreed, promised, etc.):She sang as promised. He left as agreed.
as well. See well1 (def. 11).
as well as. See well1 (def. 12).
conj.
(used correlatively after an adjective or adverb prec. by an adverbial phrase, the adverbialas, 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.
(without antecedent) in the degree, manner, etc., of or that:She's good as gold. Do as we do.
at the same time that; while; when:as you look away.
since; because:As you are leaving last, please turn out the lights.
though:Questionable as it may be, we will proceed.
with the result or purpose:He said it in a voice so loud as to make everyone stare.
[Informal.](in dependent clauses) that:I don't know as I do.
Dialect Terms, British Terms[Midland and Southern U.S. and Brit. Dial.]than.
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 far as, to the degree or extent that:It is an excellent piece of work, as far as I can tell.
as for or to, with respect to; in reference to:As for staying away, I wouldn't think of it.
as good as:
equivalent to; in effect; practically:as good as new.
true to; trustworthy as:as good as his word.
Dialect Termsas 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.
as if or though, as it would be if:It was as if the world had come to an end.
as is, in whatever condition something happens to be, esp. referring to something offered for sale in a flawed, damaged, or used condition:We bought the table as is.
as it were, in a way; so to speak:He became, as it were, a man without a country.
as long as. See long1 (def. 39).
as of, beginning on; on and after; from:This price is effective as of June 23.
as regards, with regard or reference to; concerning:As regards the expense involved, it is of no concern to him.
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.
as yet, up to the present time; until now:As yet, no one has thought of a solution.
pron.
(used relatively) that; who; which (usually prec. bysuch 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.
Dialect Terms[New England, Midland, and Southern U.S.]who; whom; which; that:Them as has gets.
prep.
in the role, function, or status of:to act as leader.
bef. 1000; Middle Englishas, als, alse, also, Old Englishalswā, ealswā all so (seealso), quite so, quite as, as; cognate with Middle Dutchalse (Dutchals), Old High Germanalsō (Middle High Germanálsō, álse, als, Germanalso so,als as, as if, because)
10. See because.
As a conjunction, one sense ofas 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 phraseasfaras generally introduces a clause:As far as money is concerned, the council has exhausted all its resources.In some informal speech and writing,asfaras is treated as a preposition and followed only by an object:As far as money, the council has exhausted all its resources.Asto as a compound preposition has long been standard though occasionally criticized as a vague substitute forabout, of, on, orconcerning: We were undecided as to our destination.Asto 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.Astowhat andastowhether are sometimes considered redundant but have long been standard:an argument as to what department was responsible.See also all, because, farther, like, so1.
(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
as it were ⇒in a way; so to speak; as if it were really so
since; seeing that
in the same way that:he died of cancer, as his father had done
for instance:capital cities, as London
adv ,conj
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 bythe same:she is the same height as her sister
prep
in the role of; being:as his friend, I am probably biased
as for,as to ⇒with reference to:as for my past, I'm not telling you anything
as if,as though ⇒as it would be if:he talked as if he knew all about it