as it were
The phrase "as it were" is used to signal that a statement should be understood figuratively or metaphorically, not literally.
🇺🇸 US Voice:
🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
C1General
(idiomatic)Used to indicate that a statement is figurative or metaphorical rather than literal.
Example
- He became, as it were, a man without a country.
- I'd understood the words, but I didn't, as it were, understand the question.
C1General
(idiomatic)Used to soften or qualify a statement, making it less definite or absolute.
Example
- She was, as it were, the heart of the community.
- The plan is, as it were, still in its early stages.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "as it were":
as it isas ifas suchas you wereso aseven asthus and sojust as wellforasmuch as