some
1 Americanadjective
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being an undetermined or unspecified one.
Some person may object.
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(used with plural nouns) certain.
Some days I stay home.
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of a certain unspecified number, amount, degree, etc..
to some extent.
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unspecified but considerable in number, amount, degree, etc..
We talked for some time. He was here some weeks.
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Informal. of impressive or remarkable quality, consequence, extent, etc..
That was some storm.
pronoun
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certain persons, individuals, instances, etc., not specified.
Some think he is dead.
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an unspecified number, amount, etc., as distinguished from the rest or in addition.
He paid a thousand dollars and then some.
adverb
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(used with numerals and with words expressing degree, extent, etc.) approximately; about.
Some 300 were present.
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Informal. to some degree or extent; somewhat.
I like baseball some. She is feeling some better today.
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Informal. to a great degree or extent; considerably.
That's going some.
determiner
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(a) certain unknown or unspecified
some lunatic drove into my car
some people never learn
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( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )
some can teach and others can't
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an unknown or unspecified quantity or amount of
there's some rice on the table
he owns some horses
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( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )
we'll buy some
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-
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a considerable number or amount of
he lived some years afterwards
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a little
show him some respect
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informal (usually stressed) an impressive or remarkable
that was some game!
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a certain amount (more) (in the phrases some more and (informal) and then some )
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about; approximately
he owes me some thirty pounds
adverb
suffix
suffix
combining form
Commonly Confused
As pronouns, both some and any may be used in affirmative or negative questions: Will you ( won't you ) have some? Do you ( don't you ) have any? But some is used in affirmative statements and answers: You may have some. Yes, I'd like some. And in negative statements and answers, any is the usual choice: I don't care for any. No, I can't take any.
Etymology
Origin of some1
First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and pronoun); Old English sum originally, “someone”; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle High German sum, Old Norse sumr, Gothic sums
Origin of -some2
Middle English; Old English -sum; akin to Gothic -sama, German -sam; same
Origin of -some3
Middle English -sum, Old English sum; special use of some (pronoun)
Origin of -some4
< Greek sôma body; soma 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.
Even if some considered AI a convenient excuse for the layoffs, the downsizing sparked outrage among technology workers.
Locals, some with dogs in tow, marched down Telluride’s main street chanting, “End it now!”
It boasts some of the best healthcare and education in the region.
After Roberts ruled out Snell for opening day on Friday, the manager provided some more context on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times
And there's been some verbal jousting in the preamble to Sunday.
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.
