Idioms for as
Origin of as
1
before 1000; Middle English
as, als, alse, also, Old English
alswā, ealswā all so (see
also), quite so, quite as, as; cognate with Middle Dutch
alse (Dutch
als), Old High German
alsō (Middle High German
álsō, álse, als, German
also so,
als as, as if, because)
synonym study for as
8. See
because.
usage note for as
As a conjunction, one sense of
as is “because”:
As she was bored, Sue left the room.
As also has an equally common use in the sense “while, when”:
As the parade passed by, the crowd cheered and applauded. These two senses sometimes result in ambiguity:
As the gates were closed, he walked away. (When? Because?)
As … as is standard in both positive and negative constructions: The fleet was as widely scattered then as it had been at the start of the conflict. Foreign service is not as attractive as it once was. So … as is sometimes used in negative constructions (… not so attractive as it once was ) and in questions ( “What is so rare as a day in June?” ).
The phrase as far as generally introduces a clause: As far as money is concerned, the council has exhausted all its resources. In some informal speech and writing, as far as is treated as a preposition and followed only by an object: As far as money, the council has exhausted all its resources.
As to as a compound preposition has long been standard though occasionally criticized as a vague substitute for about, of, on, or concerning: We were undecided as to our destination. As to sometimes occurs at the beginning of a sentence, where it introduces an element that would otherwise have less emphasis: As to his salary, that too will be reviewed. As to what and as to whether are sometimes considered redundant but have long been standard: an argument as to what department was responsible. See also all, farther, like1, so1.
As … as is standard in both positive and negative constructions: The fleet was as widely scattered then as it had been at the start of the conflict. Foreign service is not as attractive as it once was. So … as is sometimes used in negative constructions (… not so attractive as it once was ) and in questions ( “What is so rare as a day in June?” ).
The phrase as far as generally introduces a clause: As far as money is concerned, the council has exhausted all its resources. In some informal speech and writing, as far as is treated as a preposition and followed only by an object: As far as money, the council has exhausted all its resources.
As to as a compound preposition has long been standard though occasionally criticized as a vague substitute for about, of, on, or concerning: We were undecided as to our destination. As to sometimes occurs at the beginning of a sentence, where it introduces an element that would otherwise have less emphasis: As to his salary, that too will be reviewed. As to what and as to whether are sometimes considered redundant but have long been standard: an argument as to what department was responsible. See also all, farther, like1, so1.
Words nearby as
Definition for as (2 of 9)
as
2
[ as ]
/ æs /
noun, plural as·ses [as-iz] /ˈæs ɪz/.
a copper coin and early monetary unit of ancient Rome, originally having a nominal weight of a pound of 12 ounces: discontinued c80 b.c.
a unit of weight equal to 12 ounces.
Origin of as
2
Borrowed into English from Latin around 1595–1605
Definition for as (3 of 9)
Definition for as (4 of 9)
Definition for as (5 of 9)
A, a
[ ey ]
/ eɪ /
noun, plural A's or As, a's or as.
the first letter of the English alphabet, a vowel.
any spoken sound represented by the letter A or a, as in bake, hat, father, or small.
something having the shape of an A.
a written or printed representation of the letter A or a.
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter A or a.
Definition for as (6 of 9)
Definition for as (7 of 9)
Definition for as (8 of 9)
Definition for as (9 of 9)
British Dictionary definitions for as (1 of 5)
as
1
/ (æz, unstressed əz) /
conjunction (subordinating)
adverb, conjunction
- used correlatively before an adjective or adverb and before a noun phrase or a clause to indicate identity of extent, amount, etcshe is as heavy as her sister; she is as heavy now as she used to be
- used with this sense after a noun phrase introduced by the sameshe is the same height as her sister
preposition
Word Origin for as
Old English
alswā likewise; see
also
undefined as
See
note at like 1
British Dictionary definitions for as (2 of 5)
as
2
/ (æs) /
noun
an ancient Roman unit of weight approximately equal to 1 pound troy (373 grams)
the standard monetary unit and copper coin of ancient Rome
Word Origin for as
C17: from Latin
ās unity, probably of Etruscan origin
British Dictionary definitions for as (3 of 5)
as
3
the internet domain name for
American Samoa
British Dictionary definitions for as (4 of 5)
As
symbol for
chem
arsenic
altostratus
British Dictionary definitions for as (5 of 5)
AS
abbreviation for
Also: A.S.
Anglo-Saxon
antisubmarine
Australian Standards
Medical definitions for as (1 of 3)
As
The symbol for the elementarsenic
Medical definitions for as (2 of 3)
AS
abbr.
aortic stenosis
auris sinistra (left ear)
Medical definitions for as (3 of 3)
as-
pref.
Variant ofad-
Scientific definitions for as (1 of 3)
As
The symbol for arsenic.
Scientific definitions for as (2 of 3)
A
Abbreviation of adenine, ampere, angstrom, area
Scientific definitions for as (3 of 3)
arsenic
[ är′sə-nĭk ]
As
A metalloid element most commonly occurring as a gray crystal, but also found as a yellow crystal and in other forms. Arsenic and its compounds are highly poisonous and are used to make insecticides, weed killers, and various alloys. Atomic number 33; atomic weight 74.922; valence 3, 5. Gray arsenic melts at 817°C (at 28 atm pressure), sublimes at 613°C, and has a specific gravity of 5.73. See Periodic Table.