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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
Vishal Pawar, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Meiner took issue with the documentary and demanded that it not be shown in the theater, as per WSVN.
—Marni Rose McFall, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
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Planes are naturally drafty due to their design, and airlines keep the planes on the cooler side to keep the air fresher to prevent passengers from getting air sick, as per Young.
—Rylee Johnston, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2025
However, protests began right from the start, with Democrats choosing not to join the escort committee to bring Trump into the chamber as per custom.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 4 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 25 Mar. 2025.
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