as if

conjunction

1
: as it would be if
It was as if he had lost his last friend.
2
: as one would do if
He ran as if ghosts were chasing him.
3
: that
It seemed as if the day would never end.
4
used to say that something is not true, not possible, will not happen, etc.
"I am sure I am very affectionate," said Dora; "you oughtn't to be cruel to me, Doady!" "Cruel, my precious love! As if I would—or could—be cruel to you, for the world!"Charles Dickens
sometimes used informally as an interjection to say that something suggested or claimed is impossible, incorrect, or ridiculously unlikely to be true
A simple collection of songs? As if. How about a conceptual ode to London's millennia-old history?Craig McLean
Big budgets? High-priced actresses? As if! The film cost a modest $13 million, a figure achieved by not casting stars, but rather stars-in-the-making …Nicholas Fonseca

Examples of as if in a Sentence

she looked as if she wanted to ask one more question before we left
Recent Examples on the Web When a person feels shame, the brain reacts as if facing a physical danger. Melissa Petro, TIME, 4 Oct. 2024 Though considerably shorter than the two TV versions, Dauberman’s film starts off clunky, as if a few scenes had been cut (for example, Mark’s parents don’t appear until Barlow kills them late in the film) in search of the right flow. Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024 Meaning me — as if Shanola's character in some way made Sir bad. Dave Quinn, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024 Haines then continued to speak as if nothing had happened. EW.com, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for as if 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'as if.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of as if was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near as if

Cite this Entry

“As if.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/as%20if. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

as if

conjunction
1
: the way it would be if
it was as if we had never left
2
: the way one would do if
they acted as if they'd never heard of us
3
: that entry 2 sense 1a
it seemed as if the day would never end
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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