as if
conjunction
1
: as it would be if
It was as if he had lost his last friend.
2
: as one would do if
He ran as if ghosts were chasing him.
3
: that
It seemed as if the day would never end.
4
—used to say that something is not true, not possible, will not happen, etc.
"I am sure I am very affectionate," said Dora; "you oughtn't to be cruel to me, Doady!" "Cruel, my precious love! As if I would—or could—be cruel to you, for the world!"—
Charles Dickens
—sometimes used informally as an interjection to say that something suggested or claimed is impossible, incorrect, or ridiculously unlikely to be trueCharles DickensA simple collection of songs? As if. How about a conceptual ode to London's millennia-old history?—Craig McLean
Craig McLeanBig budgets? High-priced actresses? As if! The film cost a modest $13 million, a figure achieved by not casting stars, but rather stars-in-the-making …—Nicholas Fonseca
Nicholas Fonseca
Examples of as if in a Sentence
she looked as if she wanted to ask one more question before we left
Recent Examples on the Web
So it’s got this really seamless effect, as if the moon is lighting us on the stage.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2024
Yet there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty hovering over everything, as if Janet is waiting for her life to start in earnest and Lacy is unsure whether anything less than her mom’s full, undivided attention is enough to sustain her through childhood’s eventual end.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2024
Online scammers exploit naivety, which is why, while surfing the internet, operate as if surfing for real: remain alert.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
Discussions of human evolution are usually backward looking, as if the greatest triumphs and challenges were in the distant past.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for as if 
Chris Willman, Variety, 25 June 2024
Yet there’s an undercurrent of uncertainty hovering over everything, as if Janet is waiting for her life to start in earnest and Lacy is unsure whether anything less than her mom’s full, undivided attention is enough to sustain her through childhood’s eventual end.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2024
Online scammers exploit naivety, which is why, while surfing the internet, operate as if surfing for real: remain alert.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
Discussions of human evolution are usually backward looking, as if the greatest triumphs and challenges were in the distant past.
—Big Think, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for as if
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'as if.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near as if
Cite this Entry
“As if.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/as%20if. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share