somewhere

American  

[suhm-hwair, -wair] / ˈsʌmˌʰwɛər, -ˌwɛər /

adverb

1. in or at some place not specified, determined, or known.

   They live somewhere in Michigan.

2. to some place not specified or known.

   They went out somewhere.

3. at or to some point in amount, degree, etc. (usually followed by about, near, etc.).

   He is somewhere about 60 years old.

4. at some point of time (usually followed by about, between, in, etc.).

   somewhere about 1930; somewhere between 1930 and 1940; somewhere in the 1930s.

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noun

1. an unspecified or uncertain place.

somewhere British  

/ ˈsʌmˌwɛə /

adverb

1. in, to, or at some unknown or unspecified place or point

   somewhere in England

   somewhere between 3 and 4 o'clock

2. informal to make progress

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somewhere Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing somewhere

• (somewhere) or other
• get somewhere

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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

While picking through the Google Flights options, several of them reached the daunting realization that their basic economy tickets would cost them somewhere between $600 and $700.

From Slate • May 12, 2026

Served with rice and warm bread for dragging through the sauce, it landed somewhere between curry, stew and strategic fridge clean-out — which, honestly, is one of my favorite genres of cooking.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

The only requirement is that the difference with generally accepted accounting principles be explained somewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

In their research, economists Philippe Aghion and Simon Bunel, drawing on prior general-purpose technology waves, estimate somewhere between 0.8 and 1.3 percentage points annually.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

“At first, I had no idea who you were. I mean, I assumed you were somewhere nearby, but I didn’t think we went to the same school.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• around
• elsewhere
• here and there
• someplace