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 true

A simple collection of songs? As if. How about a conceptual ode to London's millennia-old history?

—Craig McLean

Big 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

Synonyms

• as
• as though
• like

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

With its cast of odd, unnerving animals, madcap puzzles and childhood toys, the finished version of Animal Well maps the eerie feel of Basso’s subconscious onto the computer screen, as if players are entering his very own mind palace. —Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

The Treasure Hunter tells the agonizing and archetypal story of a treasure hunt, as if taken straight out of a (dark) fairytale. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025

The document also reportedly says that all disputes would be resolved by courts in New York, as if a New York court could adjudicate something so open-ended. —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025

Tightening the anal sphincter and pelvic floor muscles Straining: Pushing as if trying to go but without fully emptying Defecating: Emptying the rectum without stopping The radiologist captures images at each stage to see how your muscles function and help identify any issues. —Suchandrima Bhowmik, Health, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for as if

• biff
• cliff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• riff
• schiff
• skiff
• sniff
• stiff
• tiff
• whiff

Kids Definition

as if

conjunction

1

: the way it would be if

it was as if we had never left

2

: the way one would do if

they acted as if they'd never heard of us

3

: that entry 2 sense 1a

it seemed as if the day would never end