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.
I was willing to endure anything —even hell itself — if it meant being with my children every single day.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
“If these assets ultimately generate anything close to Vertex’s proposed $5B+ peak sales, then this is an easy win,” they write.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
"I called environmental health, they came out and took some photos but didn't give us anything."
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
The body, its skin, its bones, its genes, its isotopes will never tell us anything about the reality of the individual within the wider society.
From Science Daily • Jul. 7, 2026
The old me would’ve been too scared to say anything about Dad.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
