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Collocation

as it were

adverbial phrase C1 adverbial phrase

An idiom used to qualify a statement, indicating that it is perhaps not entirely accurate, literal, or precise, but serves to convey the intended meaning in a metaphorical or suggestive way. It means 'so to speak' or 'in a manner of speaking'.

as it were: An idiom used to qualify a statement, indicating that it is perhaps not entirely accurate, literal, or precise…

Definition

'as it were' is a common English collocation. An idiom used to qualify a statement, indicating that it is perhaps not entirely accurate, literal, or precise, but serves to convey the intended meaning in a metaphorical or suggestive way. It means 'so to speak' or 'in a manner of speaking'.

fixed idiom

“He became, as it were, the father figure of the group.”

Examples

  • The new manager took the reins, as it were, and immediately started implementing changes.
  • She was, as it were, a walking encyclopedia of historical facts.
  • His words were a balm, as it were, to her troubled soul.
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  • The company became, as it were, a victim of its own success.
  • We were building a new civilization, as it were, from scratch.
  • The artist used light as his brush, as it were, painting with luminosity.
  • He absorbed the knowledge, as it were, through osmosis, without formal instruction.
  • The old oak tree was the heart, as it were, of the ancient forest.
  • Her silence was an answer, as it were, a clear refusal.
  • They created a new language, as it were, to communicate their complex ideas.

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