be that as it may

be that as it may

English

Alternative forms

• that's as may be

Pronunciation

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Adverb

be that as it may

1. (idiomatic) Even if that is the case; whether that is true or not; nevertheless.
   • 1732, Henry Grove, A Discourse concerning the Nature and Design of the Lord's Supper, 1753 Charles Wright edition, London, p. 37 (Google preview):

     Be that as it may, the duty of all communicants lies plain.

   • 1776, William Combe, The Diaboliad: A Poem. Dedicated to the Worst Man in His Majesty's Dominions, G. Kearsly, London, p. 14:

     But be that as it may, the principle of it is founded in truth.

   • 1858, Charles Dickens, Household Words, no 429 (12 June), p. 602:

     We English people, be that as it may, have among us the best nursing for love and the worst nursing for money that can be got in Europe.

   • 1953 May 24, "Mr Dulles Visits South Asia," New York Times, p. E10:

     It has frequently been asserted in the Indian press that the United States does not understand India's position. . . . Be that as it may, it is certainly true that some sectors of Indian opinion likewise do not adequately understand the motives of the United States.

   • 2005 June 23, Mark Miller, "No rest for this elder statesman of jazz," The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada), p. R3:

     "They seem to think I'm photogenic." Be that as it may, and Rollins surely is a striking figure, his music and only his music matters.

Synonyms

• be it as it may, howbeit, nevertheless; see also Thesaurus:nevertheless

Translations

nevertheless

Chinese: Mandarin: 儘管如此, 尽管如此 (jǐnguǎn rúcǐ) Dutch: hoe dan ook Finnish: oli miten oli French: quoi qu'il en soit (fr), en tout cas (fr), de toute façon (fr) German: wie dem auch sei

Italian: sia quel che sia Maori: me aha koa Portuguese: seja como for, de qualquer forma, de todo modo Russian: (conjunction) как бы то ни́ бы́ло (ru) (kak by to ní býlo), (interjection) будь что бу́дет (ru) (budʹ što búdet) Spanish: sea como fuere

References

• be that as it may in the Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.