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.
It is connected to the other Faroe Islands only by helicopters and small boats—which means, in the mists and high waves of the north Atlantic, that it is rarely connected to anything at all.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
There’s an ironic disconnect when a town calls itself “Polar Bear Capital of the World” — it’s not like these creatures, who existed long before us, get to be in charge of anything.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
I have not been asked to not say anything.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Before you proceed with any recommendation — be it this annuity or anything else that comes up in the future — make sure you understand what it is and why it’s for you.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
If anything, it’s them he’s gonna need to explain himself to.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
