now 1 of 4

adverb

ˈnau̇ How to pronounce now (audio)
Definition of nownext
1
as in currently
at the present time that company doesn't make those toys now because they are unsafe

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lately
not long ago I was just now wondering what to do about those old clothes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sometimes
on some occasions goes now here, now there—all seemingly without plan or purpose

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in immediately
without delay come here right now

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

now

2 of 4

adjective

as in downtown
keenly aware of and responsive to the latest developments especially in fashion and entertainment questioned the moral values of the now generation

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

now

3 of 4

conjunction

as in because
for the reason that I'll repeat my question now that you are paying attention

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now

4 of 4

noun

as in today
the time currently existing or in progress I know I said you could go, but that was then and this is now

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of now
Adverb
Back now to lock in the lowest Kickstarter pricing while the launch offer is still available. — New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 Tommy White Rated PG-13, 1 hour 37 minutes Hank, an American living in Australia, is now trying to be a gentle giant, one who’s celebrating his one-year anniversary of sobriety and who clearly suffers from lingering emotional trauma. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Adjective
That green room is where his agent, Rich Paul, introduced him to his now coach with the LA Clippers, Ty Lue. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026 Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement yesterday to end the now weeks-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown. — Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
Lee earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing from UNC Charlotte in 2013, found a job at Atrium Health Union and started dating her now-husband. — Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025 The Padres are built to win now and this is a win-now type of trade that hurts but makes an immediate difference. — Jim Bowden, The Athletic, 25 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for now
Recent Examples of Synonyms for now
  1. currently
  2. lately
  3. sometimes
  4. immediately
  5. downtown
  6. today
  7. anymore
  8. late
Adverb
  • On the left, Harvey Barnes is currently first-choice, while Newcastle agreed a deal potentially rising to around £50million for Bazoumana Toure in July.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The second victim is currently in the hospital in stable condition.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of currently
Adverb
  • Ford has been hot lately, winning five of the last seven races after only winning once in the first five months of the season.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But what seemed over that time span to look like a quixotic effort has lately gained a new foothold in Democratic politics.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of lately
Adverb
  • Shooting in a widescreen format that gives ironic grandeur to a squat, featureless town in the Texas Panhandle, DP Peter Flinckenberg is attentive to the piercing, sometimes radiant winter light of the region in the harshest months of the year.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Still, traces of background radioactivity sometimes break the subterranean silence, with that activity piercing through LZ’s mile of protective bedrock or even seeping out of the materials lining the detector’s walls.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of sometimes
Adverb
  • The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, which doubles as the region’s medical examiner, did not immediately respond to a request for information.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Requests for comment sent to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and the local circuit court clerk were not immediately returned.
    — Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of immediately
Adjective
  • As Detroit prepares to welcome thousands of people downtown for Grand Prix weekend, city leaders say public safety has been a months-long effort.
    — Elaine Rojas-Castillo, CBS News, 28 May 2026
  • For sports travelers, that means the pregame meal does not have to be a chain restaurant, and the postgame dinner does not have to be downtown.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 11 May 2026
Definition of downtown
Noun
  • My mom’s longtime favorite flip-flops have a super impressive discount today, so act fast to snap them up before summer officially comes to a close.
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Chevron expects to be able produce about 600,000 barrels a day from its Venezuelan oil projects in five years, up from roughly 300,000 today.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of today
Adverb
  • This is in part because, whether owing to shrinking foreign-news budgets or to a reluctance to have individual correspondents expound on such a broad array of topics and countries, careers like Ascherson’s barely exist anymore.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Showing up with a wallet and an appetite isn’t good enough anymore.
    — Adam Reiner, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of anymore
Adverb
  • This was prompted by Moises Caicedo’s fitness — deemed unable to appear against Fulham and coming on late against Brighton before hobbling off again soon after.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The lawsuit claimed State Farm violated state code over its practices toward additional living expense coverage, including by misrepresenting the terms of such coverage and by paying late.
    — Paris Barraza, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of late

Phrases Containing now

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novitiates
now
nowadays
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Cite this Entry

“Now.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/now. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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