as if

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To her left, Melvin Gibbs played electric bass—sometimes nonchalantly, sometimes with one bent knee, as if in genuflection.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

He held both hands up as if to challenge skeptics to count his fingers.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

An autistic person’s tone of voice or emotional affect may sound to a non-autistic person as if it doesn’t match the situation’s gravity.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Reacting to a narrow defeat for a much-changed team as if a sacred contract written in the manager's blood had been broken was wild.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

It blew in great, roaring gusts, then abruptly died, leaving an empty space that echoed with the most disturbing sound: a far-off moaning, as if the woods were trying to tell Clare something.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman