as 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 Dutch alsof (“as if”), Low German as of (“as if”), German als ob (“as if”).

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˌæz‿ˈɪf/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• (unstressed) IPA^(key): /əz‿ˈɪf/
• Rhymes: -ɪf

as if

1. As though; in a manner suggesting.

   The old man stumbled, as if he were about to fall.

   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     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, […]

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 203:

     “ […] 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.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 9, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     Eustace 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.

   • 2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Scotland needed a victory by eight points to have a realistic chance of progressing to the knock-out stages, and for long periods of a ferocious contest looked as if they might pull it off.

2. In mimicry of.

   When the teacher’s back was turned, the class clown would hold his stomach as if he were ill.

• as-if rule
• look as if one has been dragged through a hedge backwards

as if

1. (idiomatic) Refers to something that the speaker deems highly unlikely.

   —I'm going to clean your whole house. —As if!

   • 1903, Frank Norris, The Pit: A Story of Chicago, Sydney: Angus & Robertson, →OL, page 10:

     “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.

   • 1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Cher (Alicia Silverstone):

     Ooo! Get off of me! Uh, AS IF!

• AFIS, AFIs, FISA, IFAs, ISAF, Safi, Saif, saif