5 DET If you refer to some person or thing, you are referring to that person or thing but in a vague way, without stating precisely which person or thing you mean. [VAGUENESS ] □ If you are worried about some aspect of your child's health, call us. □ She always thinks some guy is going to come along and fix her life.
6 ADV You can use some in front of a number to indicate that it is approximate. [VAGUENESS ] □ I have kept birds for some 30 years. □ He waited some 80 to 100 yards from the big pink villa.
7 ADV [ADV after v] Some is used to mean to a small extent or degree. [AM ] □ If Susanne is off somewhere, I'll kill time by looking around some.
8 DET You can use some in front of a noun in order to express your approval or disapproval of the person or thing you are mentioning. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ 'Some party!'—'Yep. One hell of a party.' USAGE some
Don’t use ‘some’ in negative sentences. Use any
. You can use any
in front of a plural or uncountable noun. For example, don't say '
some|body ◆◆◇ /sʌ mbədi, [AM ] -bɑːdi/ PRON Somebody means the same as someone .
so me day also someday ADV [ADV with v] Some day means at a date in the future that is unknown or that has not yet been decided. □ Some day I'll be a pilot.
some|how ◆◇◇ /sʌ mhaʊ/
1 ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj] You use somehow to say that you do not know or cannot say how something was done or will be done. □ We'll manage somehow, you and me. I know we will. □ Somehow Karin managed to cope with the demands of her career. □ Somehow I knew he would tell me the truth.
2 somehow or other → see other
some|one ◆◆◇ /sʌ mwʌn/ or somebody
1 PRON You use someone or somebody to refer to a person without saying exactly who you mean. □ Her father was shot by someone trying to rob his small retail store. □ I need someone to help me. □ If somebody asks me how my diet is going, I say, 'Fine'.
2 PRON If you say that a person is someone or somebody in a particular kind of work or in a particular place, you mean that they are considered to be important in that kind of work or in that place. □ 'Before she came around,' she says, 'I was somebody in this town'. USAGE someone
You don’t usually use ‘someone’ or ‘somebody’ as part of the object of a negative sentence. Don’t say, for example, '
some|place /sʌ mple I s/ ADV [ADV after v] Someplace means the same as somewhere . [AM ] □ Maybe if we could go someplace together, just you and I.
som|er|sault /sʌ mə r sɔːlt/ (somersaults , somersaulting , somersaulted )
1 N‑COUNT If someone or something does a somersault , they turn over completely in the air.
2 VERB If someone or something somersaults , they perform one or more somersaults. □ [V prep] I hit him back and he somersaulted down the stairs.
some|thing ◆◆◆ /sʌ mθ I ŋ/
1 PRON You use something to refer to a thing, situation, event, or idea, without saying exactly what it is. □ He realized right away that there was something wrong. □ There was something vaguely familiar about him. □ The garden was something special. □ 'You said there was something you wanted to ask me,' he said politely. □ There was something in her attitude that bothered him.
2 PRON You can use something to say that the description or amount that you are giving is not exact. □ Clive made a noise, something like a grunt. □ There was something around a thousand dollars in the office strong box. □ Their membership seems to have risen to something over 10,000.
3 PRON If you say that a person or thing is something or is really something , you mean that you are very impressed by them. [INFORMAL ] □ The doors here are really something, all made of good wood like mahogany.
4 PRON You can use something in expressions like ' that's something ' when you think that a situation is not very good but is better that it might have been. □ Well, at least he was in town. That was something.
5 PRON If you say that a thing is something of a disappointment, you mean that it is quite disappointing. If you say that a person is something of an artist, you mean that they are quite good at art. □ The city proved to be something of a disappointment. □ It was something of a surprise that he was in New York.
6 PRON If you say that there is something in an idea or suggestion, you mean that it is quite good and should be considered seriously. □ Christianity has stood the test of time, so there must be something in it. □ Could there be something in what he said?
7 PRON You use something in expressions such as ' or something ' and ' or something like that ' to indicate that you are referring to something similar to what you have just mentioned but you are not being exact. [VAGUENESS ] □ This guy, his name was Briarly or Beardly or something. □ The air fare was about a hundred and ninety-nine pounds or something like that.
8 something like → see like ➌ USAGE something
Don’t use ‘something’ in negative sentences. Instead, use anything . □ He never seemed to do anything at all.
-something /-sʌmθ I ŋ/ (-somethings ) COMB -something is combined with numbers such as twenty and thirty to form adjectives which indicate an approximate amount, especially someone's age. For example, if you say that someone is thirty-something , you mean they are between thirty and forty years old.