seeing as how

seeing as how pronunciation

/SEE-in az how/

Meaning

Seeing as how is a rural Southern and Midland way to open a reason. It means since or because, said with a little more porch in it. You hear seein' as how the truck won't start, we might as well walk. Kin forms include being as how and plain seeing as. School English prefers since; country talk often prefers this longer windup.

How folks use it

• “Seeing as how you're already up, put the coffee on.”
• “Seein' as how it looks like rain, we better cover the hay.”

Origin and etymology

Built from older seeing that and seeing as, meaning considering that. Style guides long marked seeing as how as colloquial Midland and Southern speech. Cambridge notes it as informal or nonstandard beside seeing that. The how is leftover from older as how constructions (allowed as how), which stuck hard in countrified talk.

Frequently asked questions