Familiarizing yourself with common English phrases helps your English sound more fluid, portraying your emotions or ideas more accurately. The phrase “as of now” is an example of one such common phrase. There are many other phrases and ways to express “as of now,” but what does it mean?
“As of now” means from the present moment, a particular action will begin and will continue into the future. Other ways to say “as of now” include “from now on,” “from this moment onwards,” and “henceforth.”
Continue reading to learn more about the phrase “as of now” and learn how to use it in a sentence with examples.
What Is the Meaning of “As of Now”?
The phrase “as of now” is used to express that an action will begin right from the moment we use it and continue into the future.
To better understand the phrase, let’s break it down into two parts, each with its own meaning: “as of” and “now.”
The Function of “As of”
“As of” is used in a sentence to explain which moment in time an action will be taking place (source).
Examples of “As of” in a sentence:
- As of tomorrow, the exercise class is canceled.
- Thanks to the donations, as of today, we can start building.
- As of this Thursday, there will be a meeting once a week.
The Function of “Now”
The word “now” refers to the present moment and is used when explaining that something is happening or will start to happen at that particular moment.
Examples of “now” in a sentence:
- The hockey tournament will begin now.
- Please come here, right now!
- I’m making breakfast for the family now.
Is “As of Now” Correct?
When you put the two parts of the phrase together, “as of” and “now,” it forms a grammatically correct phrase.
We use “as of” to explain the moment an action occurs, while “now” explains that the moment when the action takes place is in the present moment.
When Is It Appropriate to Say, “As of Now” or “As of Right Now”
It is appropriate to say, “as of now” or “as of right now” in any situation where you are trying to explain an action will begin in the present moment and continue into the future.
You can use it in either a formal or an informal setting comfortably. Suppose you are using it in an email. In that case, it refers to the moment that the reader receives the email and not necessarily the moment that the email is sent.
Still, it can come across as stern if you use “as of now” to describe an action that must stop immediately. Or it can come across in a positive light if you use it to describe a resolution.
Using “As of Now” in a Sentence
We can use the phrase “as of now” in almost any setting to describe the beginning of almost any action.
While we frequently use this phrase when describing an action starting in the present moment that continues indefinitely, we can also use it to describe an action starting in the present moment that continues until a set point.
Here are a few examples showing the phrase “as of now” used in various tones and situations.
As of now, the children are not allowed candy!
Due to the lack of hygiene, as of now, we will supply the hand sanitizer in the office.
Because you never eat your broccoli, as of now, you will not get pudding until you are finished eating.
Snakes scare me, so, as of now, I will go to the reptile park until I am no longer scared of them.
Happy New Year! As of now, I will stick to my fitness routine and give up junk food.
As you can tell by the examples above, in some cases, the phrase sounds stern, and, in others, it sounds optimistic. The tone of the sentence is carried over in the phrase.
Dreyers English is a helpful style guide you can find on Amazon to improve your English language usage and phrases like these.
You can also check out our articles on phrases like “Including but not limited to” and “Please be advised.”
Comparing Similar Phrases to “As of Now”
The next few sections will be comparing various interchangeable phrases and similar-sounding phrases with “as of now.”
Interchangeable Phrases with “As of Now”
There are many other ways of explaining an action that will begin in the present moment and continue into the future. An interchangeable phrase is one that can directly replace another, as the meaning is exactly the same.
Here are a few examples of a few interchangeable phrases with “as of now” (source):
- As of right now
- From now on
- From here forth
- Henceforth
- From this moment onwards
- From this time forward
Which One Is Better: “As of Now” or “From Now On?”
The phrase “From now on” has the same meaning as “As of now,” just in simpler English.
The two phrases are directly interchangeable without needing to change the structure of the sentence. Neither is better than the other. Although, “As of now” might sound more formal to some degree and is used by more advanced English speakers.
Here are a few examples showing how both phrases are interchangeable with each other.
| As of now | From now on |
|---|---|
| As of now, I am going to run every morning, come rain or shine. | From now on, I am going to run every morning, come rain or shine. |
| I think, as of now, I’d like to stop eating junk food every day. | I think, from now on, I’d like to stop eating junk food every day. |
| You know, as of now, you really shouldn’t talk to me that way anymore. | You know, from now on, you really shouldn’t talk to me that way. |
| As of now, nobody in this house is allowed out after 7:00 pm. | From now on, nobody in this house is allowed out after 7:00 pm. |
| I believe, as of now, people should start caring more for the environment. | I believe, from now on, people should start caring more for the environment. |
As you can see from the examples above, the sentence structure does not need to change between the different phrases.
“As of Now” vs. “Henceforth”
Although “henceforth” sounds like a strange, more complicated word, it has the same meaning as the phrase “as of now.” The meaning of “henceforth” is an action happening from this point onwards (source).
The difference between “as of now” and “henceforth” is that “henceforth” is also used to describe a moment in the past where something began and continued into the future.
“Henceforth” is a word from the 14th century and is most commonly used in a very formal, prestigious setting.
Due to the nature of the word “henceforth,” not all sentences using it are interchangeable with “as of now,” only sentences in the present tense. Here are some examples of how to use the word “henceforth” in a sentence.
After the incident, the king decided that, henceforth, only innocent maidens were allowed in the castle.
Maria is injured; henceforth, no princesses are allowed to leave the castle unescorted.
Once there had been one war between the kingdoms, the people decided that, henceforth, they would not fight again.
You can see from the above examples, not all the sentences with “henceforth” are interchangeable with “as of now,” and some are in the past perfect continuous tense.
Here are some examples of sentences where “as of now” is interchangeable with “henceforth.”
| Henceforth | As of now |
|---|---|
| The Cavalry has arrived; henceforth, we stand together! | The Cavalry has arrived; as of now, we stand together! |
| He has betrayed the people of the land; henceforth, he shall not be allowed back here. | He has betrayed the people of the land; as of now, he shall not be allowed back here. |
| Henceforth, every princess shall leave the castle with two guards to accompany her. | As of now, every princess shall leave the castle with two guards to accompany her. |
You can see from the above examples, when “henceforth” is used in a sentence in the present tense, it is interchangeable with “as of now.”
Is “As Is Now” the Same as “As of Now”?
Sometimes you hear phrases that sound very similar to “as of now,” for example, “as is now” and “as if now,” that aren’t always correct.
“As of now” is a grammatically correct phrase describing an action beginning in the present moment and continuing into the future. However, “As is now” is not grammatically correct and can mean something different.
“As if now” is not a normal expression, although “as if” is used to describe when something happens in a way that is not true. For example, “She frowned when I said hello as if I had said something rude.”
“As is now” literally means a situation will continue as it is already happening in the present moment. However, the correct way to express “as is now” is with the grammatically correct phrase “as is,” or “as it is now.”
Therefore, “as is” describes an action continuing, and “as of now” describes an action beginning.
What Does “As Is” Mean?
As briefly discussed, the phrase “As is” is used to describe when a current situation that has been taking place shall be allowed to continue. This simple phrase is an abbreviated way of saying, “As it is now.”
“As is” is used in many scenarios, in both informal and formal settings. Here are a few examples of “as is” in a sentence.
The position of the sofa is perfect facing the window; leave it as is.
She likes her house left as is; she insists on cleaning the mess herself.
Johnny doesn’t like to brush his hair before school; he prefers to leave it as is.
Julia, please use the printer as is without changing any of the settings.
In these examples, you can see that a situation or object was a certain way. It is declared that the situation or object is left as it is at that moment.
The two phrases, “as of now” and “as is,” are very different. Let’s compare how the same situation can change between the two.
Below are a few examples comparing how the phrases “as of now” and “as is” act in a sentence.
| As of now | As is |
|---|---|
| Susan, as of now, your children are in detention. | Susan, your children are going to stay in detention as is. |
| As of now, I am going to run every morning. | I am going to continue to run, as is, every morning. |
| As of now, our son will go to bed by 9:00 pm. | As is, our son will carry on going to bed by 9:00 pm. |
The examples above show you how “as is” and “as of now” act differently in a present tense form. Both allow the action to continue into the future, but “as is” implies that the action was already taking place before the present moment.
“As of Now” vs. “As of Late?”
As discussed, the phrase “as of now” describes a new action beginning in the present moment and continuing forward. The phrase “as of late” refers to an action that has been happening for a while and continues into the present moment.
“As of late” is directly interchangeable with the word “lately.” To better understand the phrase “as of late” and when to use it instead of “as of now,” let’s look at a few sentences using “as of late.”
| As of now | As of late |
|---|---|
| As of now, Tim has been at home sick for four days. | As of late, Tim has been at home sick often. |
| As of now, I want to run daily. | As of late, I’ve wanted to run daily. |
| Things are not going to be difficult at home anymore, as of now. | Things have been difficult at home as of late. |
As you can see from the examples, “as of now” works in the present tense, and “as of late” works in the past tense.
Final Thoughts
Although “as of now” is a seemingly simple phrase, it is an easy phrase to get confused with others like “as of late” and “as is,” for example.
Hopefully, this article has shed the necessary light that you were looking for. Now that you’re comfortable, liven up your English vocabulary with interesting new ways of quickly expressing something you’d like to say with phrases like “as of now,” among others.