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.
In Soccernomics, Szymanski and co-author Simon Kuper found that countries typically need "a minimum annual average income per capita of $15,000 to win anything".
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
The research results counter the prevailing view that the stock market is so efficient that it almost immediately reflects anything reported in the financial news.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 4, 2026
The Dodgers struggled to get anything going against Padres starter Michael King.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 4, 2026
“There are very few, if any, apartment buildings or anything along those lines. It’s mostly two- and three-story private houses. It’s small-town USA within the confines of New York City.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
When it's too dry or mixed in the wrong formula, almost anything can set it off, without warning.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
