anywhere

American  

[en-ee-hwair, -wair] / ˈɛn iˌʰwɛər, -ˌwɛər /

adverb

1. in, at, or to any place.

2. to any extent; to some degree.

   Does my answer come anywhere near the right one?

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noun

1. any place or direction.

   They knew the attack could come from anywhere.

idioms

1. get anywhere, to achieve success.

   You'll never get anywhere with that attitude!

anywhere British  

/ ˈɛnɪˌwɛə /

adverb

1. in, at, or to any place

2. to be successful

   it took three years before he got anywhere

3. any quantity, time, degree, etc, above a specified limit

   he could be anywhere from 40 to 50 years old

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Spelling

See anyplace.

Etymology

Origin of anywhere

1350–1400; Middle English anywher ( e ), aniquar. See any, where

Explanation

The adverb anywhere means "in any location," or "wherever." If you're allowed to pitch your tent anywhere in the campground, it means you can choose any spot you like. When you say, "I can't find the cat anywhere!" it means you've looked every single place you can think of, and you still haven't located your pet. If you win the lottery, you may be overwhelmed by the idea that you can afford to travel anywhere — you can visit any country in the world. English speakers started saying anywhere in the 14th century; earlier, they said owhere or oughwhere.

Example Sentences

Indeed, that was effectively unknowable because, as the NYPD’s chief of detectives told reporters, they had learned that the bomb could’ve been timed to go off anywhere in the 12 hours prior to actual detonation.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2026

"Robroyston is just a monster now, it's too big. People here aren't asking for much - they just want basic things you would expect pretty much anywhere in the country."

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

Scott Sugden, director of product management at L’Acoustics, described it as potentially the largest immersive sound deployment, by sheer physical geometry, anywhere in the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, declared in mid-May, is a reminder that the next pandemic threat could spring up from anywhere, Tedros said.

From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026

After two weeks he could predict the weather anywhere, almost perfectly, several days out.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith