Meanings
- formalAs though; in a manner suggesting.
It looks as if it's going to rain.
5 more examples
The old man stumbled, as if he were about to fall.
She jumped all of a sudden, as if stung.
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“[…] 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 203Eustace 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, →OCLCSynonyms: like
- In mimicry of.
When the teacher’s back was turned, the class clown would hold his stomach as if he were ill.
- 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!
- idiomaticIndicates that the speaker deems something highly unlikely.
Me, take up yoga and become a vegetarian? As if!
3 more examples
"I'm going to clean your whole house." — "As if!"
“Better wait, hadn't you, Laura,” said Aunt Wess’, “and see. Maybe he'll come up and speak to us.” “Oh, as if!” contradicted Laura.
1903, Frank Norris, The Pit: A Story of Chicago, Sydney: Angus & Robertson, →OL, page 10Ooo! Get off of me! Uh, AS IF!
1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Cher (Alicia Silverstone)
Synonyms & antonyms
conjunctionAs though; in a manner suggesting.
Origin
- Old English*ealswā ġif
- Middle Englishas ȝif
- Englishas if
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὡσάν, ὡς ἄν
- ὡσάν (hōsán)as though
- ὡς ἄν (hōs án)as though
Arabic كَأَنَّ, كَأَنَّمَا
- كَأَنَّ (kaʔanna)as though
- كَأَنَّمَا (kaʔannamā)as though
Bulgarian сякаш, все едно
- сякаш (sjakaš)as though
- все едно (vse edno)as though
- все едно (vse edno)in mimicry of
- как ли пък не (kak li păk ne)interjection
Catalan com si, com si
- com sias though
- com siin mimicry of
- sí clar!interjection
Chinese Mandarin 仿佛 or 彷彿 /彷佛, 似乎
- 仿佛 or 彷彿 /彷佛 (fǎngfú)as though
- 似乎 (sìhū)as though
- 好像 (hǎoxiàng)as though
- 仿佛 or 彷彿 /彷佛 (fǎngfú)in mimicry of
- 似乎 (sìhū)in mimicry of
- 好像 (hǎoxiàng)in mimicry of
- 別瞎說 /别瞎说 (bié xiāshuō)interjection
- 才怪 (cáiguài)interjection
- 豈有此理 /岂有此理 (qǐyǒucǐlǐ)interjection
Danish som om, som om
- som omas though
- som omin mimicry of
- som ominterjection
Dutch alsof, alsof
- alsofas though
- alsofin mimicry of
- tuurlijkinterjection
- vastinterjection
Esperanto kvazaŭ, kvazaŭ
- kvazaŭas though
- kvazaŭin mimicry of
Finnish ikään kuin, niin kuin
- ikään kuinas though
- niin kuinas though
- kuinas though
- aivan kuinas though
- ikään kuinin mimicry of
- aivan kuinin mimicry of
- tuskinpainterjection
French comme si, comme si
- comme sias though
- comme siin mimicry of
- genreinterjection
- mais bien sûrinterjection
German als ob, als wenn
- als obas though
- als wennas though
- alsas though
- als obin mimicry of
- alsin mimicry of
- als obinterjection
- von wegeninterjection
- klarinterjection
- all typically preceded by jainterjection
Greek λες και, σαν
- λες και (les kai)as though
- σαν (san)in mimicry of
- λες και (les kai)in mimicry of
Hindi मानो, घंटा
- मानो (māno)as though
- घंटा (ghaṇṭā)interjection
- अजी हाँ (ajī hā̃)interjection
Hungarian mintha, akárha
- minthaas though
- akárhaas though
- ugyan már!interjection
Indonesian seakan-akan, seolah-olah
- seakan-akanas though
- seolah-olahas though
Italian come se, come se
- come seas though
- come sein mimicry of
- come nointerjection
- già giàinterjection
- magariinterjection
Japanese ...のようだ, ...のようだ
- ...のようだ (maru-de...)as though
- ...のようだ (maru-de...)in mimicry of
Latin quasi, ceu
- quasias though
- ceuas though
Māori ētia
- ētiaas though
Norwegian som om, som
- som omas though
- somas though
- som omin mimicry of
- somin mimicry of
- liksom!interjection
Persian انگار, مثل اینکه
- انگار (engâr)as though
- مثل اینکه (mesl-e inke)as though
- انگار (engâr)in mimicry of
- مثل اینکه (mesl-e inke)in mimicry of
Polish jakby, tak jakby
- jakbyas though
- tak jakbyas though
- jak gdybyas though
- jakas though
- jakbyin mimicry of
- tak jakbyin mimicry of
- jak gdybyin mimicry of
- jakin mimicry of
- tak jakbyvery unlikely
- jasneinterjection
Portuguese como se, como se
- como seas though
- como sein mimicry of
- ah, siminterjection
- até pareceinterjection
Romanian ca și cum, de parcă
- ca și cumas though
- de parcăas though
- parcăas though
Russian как бу́дто, бу́дто
- как бу́дто (kak búdto)as though
- бу́дто (búdto)as though
- сло́вно (slóvno)as though
- ка́к бы (kák by)as though
- как бу́дто (kak búdto)in mimicry of
- бу́дто (búdto)in mimicry of
- сло́вно (slóvno)in mimicry of
- неуже́ли (neužéli)interjection
- е́сли бы (jésli by)interjection
- ска́жешь то́же (skážešʹ tóže)interjection
- да коне́чно (da konéčno)interjection
Scottish Gaelic mas fhìor
- mas fhìorinterjection
Spanish como si, como que (si)
- como sias though
- como que (si)as though
- como siin mimicry of
- como que (si)in mimicry of
- ni quevery unlikely
- ¿(tú / vos) no ves quevery unlikely
- ¡cómo no!interjection
- ¡sí cómo no!interjection
Swedish som om, som om
- som omas though
- som omin mimicry of
- jo tjenainterjection
Thai เหมือน, เหมือนกับว่า
- เหมือน (mʉ̌ʉan)as though
- เหมือนกับว่าas though
- ราวกับas though
- ราวกับว่าas though
- อย่างกับas though
- อย่างกับว่าas though
- อย่างกับin mimicry of
- อย่างกับว่าin mimicry of
Turkish sanki, gibi
- sankias though
- gibias though
- pehinterjection
Vietnamese tựa hồ
- tựa hồas though
Yiddish ווי
- ווי (vi)as though
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with as if
Cite this entry
as if. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20if
“as if.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20if. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “as if,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/as%20if.
Source: as if on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.