somewhere
Americanadverb
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in or at some place not specified, determined, or known.
They live somewhere in Michigan.
-
to some place not specified or known.
They went out somewhere.
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at or to some point in amount, degree, etc. (usually followed by about, near, etc.).
He is somewhere about 60 years old.
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at some point of time (usually followed by about, between, in, etc.).
somewhere about 1930; somewhere between 1930 and 1940; somewhere in the 1930s.
noun
adverb
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in, to, or at some unknown or unspecified place or point
somewhere in England
somewhere between 3 and 4 o'clock
-
informal to make progress
Spelling
See anyplace.
Etymology
Origin of somewhere
Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at some, where
Explanation
The adverb somewhere means "in an indefinite location." If your parents promise you're going somewhere for spring break, you know you'll be traveling but you don't know the exact destination. Let's hope it's not another trip to visit the Museum of Yarn. If your brother wants to go somewhere warm in January, but you'd rather head somewhere with good skiing, you'll have to work on a compromise. Neither of you has a definite place in mind, so you may be able to work it out. When Dorothy wished she could travel somewhere over the rainbow, she wasn't specifically imagining the Land of Oz. You can also substitute the informal someplace for somewhere.
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.
“But they did not say he was somewhere he was not, and within hours officials revealed that he had been flown to a military facility in Nebraska.”
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
There is no slowdown on the horizon: AI companies continue signing on for more office space, attracting new people with top salaries who need somewhere to live.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Once released, the free electron is extremely eager to find somewhere else to go.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
This will break the record for the highest number of days on which the temperature has exceeded 30C somewhere in the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
We weren’t two miles from home, but the crick was somewhere else.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
