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Is It Grammatically Correct to Say as per?
Many wonder whether the as in as per is superfluous. Wouldn’t the phrase “per your instructions” mean much the same thing as “as per your instructions?” In that case, would it be incorrect to insert the extra word?
The fact is that both per and as per have existed in English in the sense “according to” for a very long time–since the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively. The choice of which to use (or avoid) is entirely a matter of taste. The more ponderous as per is often found in business and legal prose, or in writing that attempts to adopt a formal tone. It is not incorrect to use, but some find it overly legalistic and counsel avoiding it for that reason. On the other hand, it has been used to good effect in facetious mock-business-English (“as per the President’s shiny new Environmental Policy Act”). As in so many matters of diction, the tonal needs of a particular passage should guide your choice.
Examples of as per in a Sentence
Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2025
Image Image Image For funerals held in the mosque, there is a specialized room where the body can be washed and shrouded as per the religious ritual that includes prayers.
—J. David Goodman, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Yes, the September 7, 2025 MTV VMAs will still air on MTV as per usual, but an expansion of the awards show’s regular live simulcast finally brings Paramount Global’s broadcast network CBS and its streaming service Paramount+ into the mix.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
But even the auteur’s vision in Indian theaters did not go as per script.
—Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for as per
Cite this Entry
“As per.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/as%20per. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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