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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.

When Ray Bradshaw was growing up, he never thought there was anything unusual about the fact he could hear while his parents were deaf.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Harri Kytömaa, an engineer at consulting firm Exponent who investigates industrial disasters, referring to the scale of the damage.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

A 1970s-style outcome, or anything close to it, would have been enough to make anyone shudder — but especially retirees and others living on fixed or semi-fixed incomes.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

“They can do anything they want with us now,” said Lopes, who set a record by stealing 10 bases in 10 attempts that postseason.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

“Betsie, don’t you feel anything about Jan Vogel? Doesn’t it bother you?”

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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.