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

Corcoran, Century 21, and others are under the Anywhere umbrella.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Compass and Anywhere were the first- and second-biggest brokerages, respectively, by volume in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The brokerage Compass, which recently completed its merger with the large brokerage Anywhere, was down 12.1%.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

He wanted to create an Anywhere U.S.A. feel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Anywhere farther than that, they had to be driven by a parent or Hannah.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene