English
as it were
Adverb

afternoon (not comparable)

  1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see as, it, were
  2. Used to indicate that a word or statement is perhaps not exact though practically right; as if it were so.
    • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Numbers 23:22:
      God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
    Synonyms: so to speak, in a manner of speaking, in a way
  3. Used to draw attention to the use of a metaphor, sometimes to prevent confusion or to highlight wordplay.
    She gave all of the women seated at the restaurant food for thought, as it were.
    Concerns that cloud seeding might “steal” water from an area a cloud is traveling toward—robbing Peter to water Paul, as it were—have been dispelled.
Translations

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