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.
"No one mentioned anything to me," says Naicker.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
That included waste or anything related to the lethal-injection drugs used during the failed procedure, Myles said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
That adviser would look at your cash flow, your taxes, your savings, your insurance and how all of those pieces affect each other before recommending anything.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
It’s not a traditional rhythm section, but if anything were out of alignment, it would throw the entire entity out of order.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Her refusal to do anything conventional, even small things like wearing matching socks, makes her a walking revolution.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
