: in accordance with : according to
as per your instructions
see also:

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Is It Grammatically Correct to Say as per?

Many wonder whether the as in as per is superfluous. Wouldn’t the phrase “per your instructions” mean much the same thing as “as per your instructions?” In that case, would it be incorrect to insert the extra word?

The fact is that both per and as per have existed in English in the sense “according to” for a very long time–since the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively. The choice of which to use (or avoid) is entirely a matter of taste. The more ponderous as per is often found in business and legal prose, or in writing that attempts to adopt a formal tone. It is not incorrect to use, but some find it overly legalistic and counsel avoiding it for that reason. On the other hand, it has been used to good effect in facetious mock-business-English (“as per the President’s shiny new Environmental Policy Act”). As in so many matters of diction, the tonal needs of a particular passage should guide your choice.

Examples of as per in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
With the move had come better prospects, and living quarters that were available as per pay-scale entitlement. Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 Thus, the robot can adapt to new situations without losing key properties of the movement, such as keeping a bottle vertical so as not to spill the contents, as per the press release. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Feb. 2026 James won’t qualify for the 65-game minimum needed to be considered for league awards, as per the collective bargaining agreement. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026 Here in the Olympic tournament, as per IIHF rules, each fighter gets a major plus a game misconduct penalty. Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for as per

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of as per was in 1569

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Cite this Entry

“As per.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/as%20per. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

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