Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

anything

American  
[en-ee-thing] / ˈɛn iˌθɪŋ /

pronoun

  1. any thing whatever; something, no matter what.

    Do you have anything for a toothache?

noun

  1. a thing of any kind.

adverb

  1. in any degree; to any extent; in any way; at all.

    Does it taste anything like chocolate?

idioms

  1. anything goes, any type of conduct, dress, speech, etc., is considered acceptable or valid or is likely to be encountered and tolerated.

    That resort is a place where anything goes!

  2. anything but, in no degree or respect; not in the least.

    The plans were anything but definite.
anything British  
/ ˈɛnɪˌθɪŋ /

pronoun

  1. any object, event, action, etc, whatever

    anything might happen
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a thing of any kind

    have you anything to declare?
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. in any way

    he wasn't anything like his father

  2. by no means; not in the least

    she was anything but happy

  3. (intensifier; usually euphemistic)

    he ran like anything
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
anything More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing anything

Etymology

Origin of anything

before 900; Middle English ani thing, eni thing, Old English ǣnig thing. See any, thing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

What followed was unlike anything I’ve experienced in 20 years of car ownership: a three-month fight to convince my insurer to pay for a repair from a qualified mechanic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Perhaps what has frustrated the England boss most is that while losing to Italy was a first, the manner of that defeat was anything but novel - particularly in terms of defence.

From BBC

"I don't think anything will ever top that."

From BBC

I told him that we weren’t a couple, just friends, and that I would be the worst person he could possibly ask to perform anything.

From Los Angeles Times

"I couldn't find anything that made me feel like - by bringing it into our nurseries and making it available to our children - we were going to enhance their learning," O'Sullivan said.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.