How to Use not so much (something) as (something else) in a Sentence

not so much (something) as (something else)

idiom
Definition of not so much (something) as (something else)next
  • It was ringed by trees but not so much as to close off the sky.
    — Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 June 2022
  • The edges are flared away from the cooking surface, but not so much as to spill when flipping.
    — Rennie Dyball, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2023
  • The crystal is slightly domed, but not so much as to distort the dial.
    — Matthew Catellier, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2021
  • But then City has not so much as dropped a point in the Premier League since February.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2023
  • Green Hatch chiles add their unique flavor and a different kind of heat — though not so much as to warrant the fire alarms.
    — Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2023
  • The federation did not so much as back him as follow him down the rabbit hole.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
  • The petite, no-nonsense Rio Wave opens to just one position and boasts not so much as a cupholder.
    — Stephanie Krikorian, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2021
  • Visitors pass through with just enough concern to be human but not so much as to spoil their supper.
    — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023
  • There’s not so much as a glance in the direction of the electric-vehicle boondoggle.
    — Matthew Continetti, National Review, 8 June 2024
  • There’s not so much as a morsel of hope for a reunion, though a U.K. No. 1 album should give some comfort to long-suffering fans of Oasis.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2023
  • And so his picture has achieved a strange kind of immortality: not so much as a work of art, but as an emblem of an ideal.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Jan. 2021
  • The new brunette hue has not so much as an inkling of honey tones, but rather cooler shades that blend stunningly with the superstar's long layers.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 1 Mar. 2023
  • The Fed is trying to slow the economy enough to tamp down the high inflation sweeping the country, but not so much as to trigger a recession.
    — Damian J. Troise, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2022
  • There’s a lot to learn from each other in the two disciplines if it’s more often just viewed as filmmaking, and not so much as a novelty.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 6 Dec. 2021
  • My parents retired to a total hellhole, not so much as a nearby playground, that requires a four-hour flight.
    — Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2021
  • That’s where higher rates slow the economy enough to halt inflation but not so much as to cause a scarring recession.
    — Damian J. Troise, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Spackle the back of the mesh, press it in place, then use a putty knife to smooth the spackle that oozes through and remove excess, but not so much as to keep the mesh from being fully embedded.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
  • The shooting of the film was relatively benign, though Visconti gave a strict order to the crew members, most of whom were gay, to not so much as look at Andrésen.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Nov. 2021
  • As far as seat comfort goes, both offer an appropriate amount of cushioning, but not so much as to over-isolate your butt from the road.
    — Mark Takahashi, Car and Driver, 10 June 2022
  • Powell said the Fed is seeking to increase its benchmark rate by enough to slow the economy, hiring, and wage growth, but not so much as to send the U.S. into recession.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2022
  • The two work it out and return to the dinner table – badly bruised and bloodied – not so much as friends, but rivals that agree to respect each other's differences.
    — Matt Cabral, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2022
  • The central bank hopes that higher borrowing costs will slow spending enough to tame inflation yet not so much as to cause a recession.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2022
  • The Fed is seeking to pull off a delicate task by slowing hiring and the broader economy to cool inflation, but not so much as to cause a recession.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2022
  • Her lawyer described her not so much as a former police officer but as a woman, one dressed in florals and a pale yellow cardigan, who made a mistake.
    — Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2021
  • Lieberman, who has written extensively on democracy, says Trump does matter to the midterms, but not so much as a person trying to pick winners and losers.
    — David Zurawik, CNN, 18 June 2022
  • Even in the highest-resolution image, examined up close, there was not so much as a discernible sliver of daylight.
    — Rory Smith, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2023
  • Bone-dry, bitterly cold and bathed in cosmic radiation, the surface of Mars may well be dead, with not so much as a single microbe breaking its state of barrenness.
    — Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2023
  • That strength has a large group of investors believing the Fed may pull off the balancing act of slowing the economy through high rates just enough to smother high inflation but not so much as to cause a painful recession.
    — Stan Choe, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2023
  • Latin American genre is not so much as fitting into market trends as a push-phenomenon driven by genre fanboys and girls.
    — Holly Jones, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023
  • The Hex is a compact tool with a brushless motor that can produce up to 155 foot-pounds of torque, a good middle ground for providing you with enough power but not so much as to destroy these smaller fasteners.
    — Brandon Russell, Popular Mechanics, 14 Apr. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'not so much (something) as (something else).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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