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now

adverb · adjective · noun

Simple meaning

At the present moment.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

now
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈnaʊ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. At the present moment

  2. At the present time.

  3. Differently from the immediate past; differently from a more remote past or a possible future; differently from all other times.

  4. Used to indicate a context of urgency.

  5. In the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

    “President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard.”

  6. At the time reached within a narration.

adjective

  1. Present; current.

  2. informal

    Fashionable; popular; up to date; current.

noun

  1. The momentary present

    “Now is a good time to do it.”

  2. uncountable

    The present time.

  3. often with the

    The state of not paying attention to the future or the past.

  4. us

    Acronym of National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization.

  5. countablechiefly in phenomenology

    A particular instant in time, as perceived at that instant.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

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How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

  • Historicaladverb

    “President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard.”

  • Momentarynoun

    “Now is a good time to do it.”

More ways to use now

  • “President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard.”adverb
  • “Now is a good time to do it.”noun

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.