as if en · CCONJ
Pronunciation
- /ˌæz‿ˈɪf/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /əz‿ˈɪf/ (unstressed)
- (Australia) audio
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English as ȝif, alls iff (“as if”), from Old English *ealswā ġif, attested only as swā ġif (“as if”), equivalent to as + if. Compare Saterland Frisian as of (“as if”), Dutch alsof (“as if”), Low German as of (“as if”), German als ob (“as if”).
Meanings
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(formal) As though; in a manner suggesting.
She jumped all of a sudden, as if stung.
“[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 203:I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow — a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, […]
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 9, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:The old man stumbled, as if he were about to fall.
It looks as if it's going to rain.
Scotland needed a victory by eight points to have a realistic chance of progressing to the knock-out stages, and for long periods of a ferocious contest looked as if they might pull it off.
2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport:
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In mimicry of.
When the teacher’s back was turned, the class clown would hold his stomach as if he were ill.
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Indicating something that the speaker deems very unlikely, or is adamant that he or she would not do (see also interjection sense below).
How can you even think that? As if I would inform on you to the police!
Deriveds
as if I cared · look as if one has been dragged through a hedge backwards · make as if · as if I care · as-if rule
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (122)
az elə bil (as though) · el σαν (in mimicry of) · tr sanki (as though) · hu akárha (as though) · az guya (as though) · ang swelċe (in mimicry of) · pl jakby (in mimicry of) · mk како да (as though) · fi ikään kuin (as though) · no som (as though) · eo kvazaŭ (in mimicry of) · nl alsof (in mimicry of) · fa انگار (as though) · sh kao da (as though) · id seakan-akan (as though) · cmn 好像 (as though) · ja ...のようだ (as though) · gl como se (as though) · de als (in mimicry of) · no som (in mimicry of) · fa انگار (in mimicry of) · fi niin kuin (as though) · bg все едно (in mimicry of) · id seolah-olah (as though) · fi kuin (as though) · ar كَأَنَّ (as though) · th เหมือน (as though) · cmn 好像 (in mimicry of) · ca com si (as though) · el λες και (in mimicry of) · yi ווי (as though) · ja ...のようだ (in mimicry of) · ru бу́дто (in mimicry of) · th อย่างกับว่า (as though) · fr comme si (in mimicry of) · de als ob (in mimicry of) · rsk як кед (in mimicry of) · ka ვითომც (in mimicry of) · got 𐍃𐍅𐌴 (as though) · rsk як кед би (as though) · pl jak (in mimicry of) · fr comme si (as though) · el λες και (as though) · th ราวกับ (as though) · no som om (in mimicry of) · ru бу́дто (as though) · de als wenn (as though) · it come se (as though) · rsk як кед (as though) · ro ca și cum (as though) · cmn 似乎 (as though) · sh kao da (in mimicry of) · grc ὡς ἄν (as though) · grc ὡσάν (as though) · ru ка́к бы (as though) · mi ētia (as though) · da som om (as though) · th อย่างกับ (in mimicry of) · oc coma se (as though) · bg все едно (as though) · sv som om (in mimicry of) · ru сло́вно (in mimicry of) · sh као да (in mimicry of) · gu જાણે (as though) · th เหมือนกับว่า (as though) · es como si (as though) · ro de parcă (as though) · pt como se (in mimicry of) · ka თითქოს (in mimicry of) · de als (as though) · hu mintha (as though) · ar كَأَنَّمَا (as though) · txb ramt (as though) · bg сякаш (as though) · pl tak jakby (very unlikely) · vi tựa hồ (as though) · ro parcă (as though) · rsk як кед би (in mimicry of) · eo kvazaŭ (as though) · sh као да (as though) · ca com si (in mimicry of) · th อย่างกับ (as though) · pl jak (as though) · pl jakby (as though) · la ceu (as though) · gl como se (in mimicry of) · ru как бу́дто (in mimicry of) · kk сияқты (as though) · es ni que (very unlikely) · es ¿(tú / vos) no ves que (very unlikely) · it come se (in mimicry of) · fi ikään kuin (in mimicry of) · hi मानो (as though) · ang swelċe (as though) · fa مثل اینکه (as though) · cmn 似乎 (in mimicry of) · pl jak gdyby (in mimicry of) · fa مثل اینکه (in mimicry of) · az sanki (as though) · cmn 仿佛 or 彷彿 /彷佛 (as though) · tr gibi (as though) · es como que (si) (in mimicry of) · de als ob (as though) · fi aivan kuin (as though) · pt como se (as though) · no som om (as though) · pl jak gdyby (as though) · pl tak jakby (in mimicry of) · ka ვითომ (as though) · es como que (si) (as though) · ru как бу́дто (as though) · pl tak jakby (as though) · nl alsof (as though) · th อย่างกับว่า (in mimicry of) · fi aivan kuin (in mimicry of) · es como si (in mimicry of) · da som om (in mimicry of) · sv som om (as though) · ru сло́вно (as though) · th ราวกับว่า (as though) · la quasi (as though) · cmn 仿佛 or 彷彿 /彷佛 (in mimicry of)