Now — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

the momentary present

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

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/nˈaʊ/

🇬🇧British English

/nˈaʊ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/nˈaʊ/

1 syllable Say it as /nˈaʊ/.

Examples

Now is a good time to do it
it worked up to right now
President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

today nowadays straightaway at once forthwith directly right away straight off at present like a shot instantly immediately

Parts of Speech

noun	the momentary present “Now is a good time to do it”
adverb	in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events “President Kennedy now calls in the National Guard”
adverb	in these times; - Nancy Mitford “it is solely by their language that the upper classes nowadays are distinguished”
adverb	used to preface a command or reproof or request “now hear this!”
adverb	at the present moment “goods now on sale”
adverb	without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening “he answered immediately”
adverb	(prefatory or transitional) indicates a change of subject or activity “Now the next problem is...”
adverb	in the immediate past “told me just now”

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Jetzt

die momentane Gegenwart

🇫🇷French

maintenant

le présent momentané

🇪🇸Spanish

ahora

el presente momentáneo

🇮🇹Italian

Ora

il presente momentaneo

🇳🇱Dutch

nu

het momentane heden

🇵🇹Portuguese

agora

o presente momentâneo

🇷🇺Russian

сейчас

сиюминутное настоящее

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अब

क्षणिक वर्तमान

🇧🇩Bengali

এখন

ক্ষণস্থায়ী বর্তমান

🇮🇳Tamil

இப்போது

தற்காலிக நிகழ்காலம்

🇮🇳Telugu

ఇప్పుడు

క్షణిక వర్తమానం

🇮🇳Marathi

आता

क्षणिक वर्तमान

🇮🇳Gujarati

હવે

ક્ષણિક હાજર

🇮🇳Kannada

ಈಗ

ಕ್ಷಣಿಕ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ഇപ്പോൾ

ക്ഷണികമായ വർത്തമാനം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਹੁਣ

ਪਲ ਦੀ ਮੌਜੂਦਗੀ

🇵🇰Urdu

اب

لمحاتی موجود

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

现在

暂时的现在

🇯🇵Japanese

今

一瞬の現在

🇰🇷Korean

지금

순간적인 현재

🇻🇳Vietnamese

Hiện nay

hiện tại nhất thời

🇹🇭Thai

ตอนนี้

ปัจจุบันชั่วขณะ

🇮🇩Indonesian

Sekarang

hadiah sesaat

🇵🇭Filipino

ngayon

ang panandaliang kasalukuyan

🇲🇾Malay

sekarang

yang hadir seketika

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

الآن

الحاضر اللحظي

🇮🇷Persian

اکنون

حال لحظه ای

🇹🇷Turkish

Şimdi

anlık şimdiki zaman

🇮🇱Hebrew

עַכשָׁיו

ההווה הרגעי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'now'?

The primary meaning of 'now' is 'the momentary present'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'now' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'now' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'now' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'now' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'now' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'now' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'now' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'now' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'now' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'now' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted