anything
Americanpronoun
noun
adverb
idioms
-
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!
-
anything but, in no degree or respect; not in the least.
The plans were anything but definite.
pronoun
noun
adverb
-
in any way
he wasn't anything like his father
-
by no means; not in the least
she was anything but happy
-
(intensifier; usually euphemistic)
he ran like 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.
"The material was dreadful – as teenagers, they wouldn't say anything," he later said of the second episode, 7 Plus Seven.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Heading into the 78th Emmy Awards, “Widow’s Bay” seems anything but cursed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
That’s simply no way to live, and it’s certainly not a way to enjoy a movie as anything deeper or more important than a fleeting experience.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Do not underestimate the power of this technology. There will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
After being out of my life for the last three years, how would he know . . . anything?
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
