as per

preposition

ˈaz-ˌpər 

: in accordance with : according to

as per your instructions

Phrases

as per usual

: in the accustomed or habitual way : as usual

As per usual I tried to see into Myra's mind and as per usual I got nowhere at all.

—Gore Vidal

Did you know?

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The activation promises to offer a festive lead-up to the weekend, which will mark the celebrations of Milan’s patron and, as per local tradition, the official start of the holiday season in the city. —Sandra Salibian, WWD, 2 Dec. 2024

While Zara, as per usual, isn’t doing an official Cyber Week sale, a ton of semi-secret discounts just hit the site. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 2 Dec. 2024

There was even a narrator, as per usual, moving the story along and tying the songs together in ways that occasionally felt a bit forced (but maybe not by Broadway standards). —Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 27 Nov. 2024

Truth be told, neither team were particularly stellar but Hibs (as per) were scraping the barrel to a greater extent. —Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined above