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Is It Grammatically Correct to Say as per?
Many wonder whether the as in as per is superfluous. Wouldn’t the phrase “per your instructions” mean much the same thing as “as per your instructions?” In that case, would it be incorrect to insert the extra word?
The fact is that both per and as per have existed in English in the sense “according to” for a very long time–since the 15th and 16th centuries, respectively. The choice of which to use (or avoid) is entirely a matter of taste. The more ponderous as per is often found in business and legal prose, or in writing that attempts to adopt a formal tone. It is not incorrect to use, but some find it overly legalistic and counsel avoiding it for that reason. On the other hand, it has been used to good effect in facetious mock-business-English (“as per the President’s shiny new Environmental Policy Act”). As in so many matters of diction, the tonal needs of a particular passage should guide your choice.
Examples of as per in a Sentence
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Here are the most common reasons, as per the IRS:
The return has errors, is incomplete, or is affected by identity theft or fraud.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 23 July 2025
Around 266,000 of the pools were also sold in Canada, where they have also been recalled, as per an announcement from Health Canada.
—Jay Blackman, NBC news, 22 July 2025
Simply put, more money for pension promises (which can’t be broken, as per California courts) means less money for everything else.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for as per
Cite this Entry
“As per.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/as%20per. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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