pronoun
- any thing whatever; something, no matter what: Do you have anything for a toothache?
noun
- a thing of any kind.
adverb
- in any degree; to any extent; in any way; at all: Does it taste anything like chocolate?
- anything but, in no degree or respect; not in the least: The plans were anything but definite.
- 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!
pronoun
- any object, event, action, etc, whateveranything might happen
noun
- a thing of any kindhave you anything to declare?
adverb
- in any wayhe wasn’t anything like his father
- anything but by no means; not in the leastshe was anything but happy
- like anything (intensifier; usually euphemistic)he ran like anything
late Old English aniþing, from any + thing. But Old English ænig þinga apparently also meant “somehow, anyhow” (glossing Latin quoquo modo).
By no means, not at all, as in He is anything but ambitious for a promotion. William Wordsworth in his long poem, The Prelude (1805–1806), wrote: “Grief call it not, ’twas anything but that.”
In addition to the idioms beginning with anything
- anything but
- anything goes
- anything like
also see:
- can’t do anything with
- if anything
- like anything
- not anything like