anywhere
Americanadverb
-
in, at, or to any place.
-
to any extent; to some degree.
Does my answer come anywhere near the right one?
noun
idioms
adverb
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in, at, or to any place
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to be successful
it took three years before he got anywhere
-
any quantity, time, degree, etc, above a specified limit
he could be anywhere from 40 to 50 years old
Spelling
See anyplace.
Etymology
Origin of anywhere
1350–1400; Middle English anywher ( e ), aniquar. See any, where
Explanation
The adverb anywhere means "in any location," or "wherever." If you're allowed to pitch your tent anywhere in the campground, it means you can choose any spot you like. When you say, "I can't find the cat anywhere!" it means you've looked every single place you can think of, and you still haven't located your pet. If you win the lottery, you may be overwhelmed by the idea that you can afford to travel anywhere — you can visit any country in the world. English speakers started saying anywhere in the 14th century; earlier, they said owhere or oughwhere.
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.
"If I've ever been anywhere near Wales, even when I've been going to Holyhead, when we went to Ireland, I'd come round this way," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
When Kelsey first arrived at secondary school, she said she wanted to be almost anywhere else but there.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
But those everyday traders can’t react anywhere near as quickly as a fast-twitch algorithm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Colin Jarvis, who heads up OpenAI’s internal FDE program, said FDEs can join an organization for anywhere from a few months to a few years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
But I couldn’t see him anywhere, only dozens of people waiting to cross the street.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
