Definitions

as it were

ADVERB

id est

Synonyms

WEAK

i.e. that is

CONJUNCTION

as if

Synonyms

WEAK

as it would be as might be in such a way that just as just as if just as though so to speak

CONJUNCTION

as though

Synonyms

WEAK

as it would be as might be in such a way that just as just as if just as though so to speak

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.

They aimed to retain the “breathing units” of biblical speech, even if that meant straining German with Hebraic syntax; the criteria, Mendes-Flohr observes, were “not aesthetic but, as it were, respiratory.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

The latest evidence for the prosecution, as it were, comes from the Social Security rolls, which show that record numbers of people are now claiming monthly benefits.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

"But it was very, very moving. It lifted the pressure, a weight off my head, as it were," he says.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

The Prince of Hong Kong, as it were, albeit for a couple of months.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2025

Here, the Devil as it were primes the pump.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

as it were

Example Sentences

Related Words