anyway
Americanadverb
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in any case; anyhow; nonetheless; regardless.
Whether you like it or not, I'm going anyway.
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(used to continue or resume the thread of a story or account).
Anyway, we finally found a plumber who could come right over.
adverb
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in any case; at any rate; nevertheless; anyhow
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in a careless or haphazard manner
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Usually any way . in any manner; by any means
Spelling
The adverb anyway is spelled as one word: It was snowing hard, but we drove to the play anyway. The two-word phrase any way means “in any manner”: Finish the job any way you choose. If the words “in the” can be substituted for “any,” the two-word phrase is called for: Finish the job in the way you choose. If the substitution cannot be made, the spelling is anyway.
Etymology
Origin of anyway
First recorded in 1150–1200, anyway is from Middle English ani wei. See any, way 1
Compare meaning
How does anyway compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Management launched the deal anyway, misjudging how unpopular it would be with clients, then canceled the merger.
“I was willing to pay a bit of a premium for using electricity over gas anyway.”
From Los Angeles Times
Referencing all the people he's worked with since, he reflected: "The music I made with Amy is the reason any of them know who I am anyway."
From BBC
“But he also has to make his assurances credible that if Iran agrees to U.S. demands, that the U.S. won’t attack Iran anyway.”
From Los Angeles Times
Kelly: When you were little, though, it probably wasn't something that she would have envisaged for her daughter anyway, was it?
From BBC
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.
