some
/sʌm/ pronoun, determiner, adverb
- pronoun A certain number (multiple but not all). “Some enjoy spicy food, others prefer it milder.”
- pronoun An indefinite quantity. “Can I have some of them?”
- pronoun An indefinite amount; a part. Used mostly with abstract and nonliving objects. “Please give me some of the cake.”
- pronoun (obsolete) Someone, a certain person.
- determiner (stressed form) A nonzero, unspecified proportion of (a bounded set of countable things): at least two. “Some people like camping.”
- determiner A nonzero, unspecified quantity or number of (an unbounded set of countable things). “Would you like some grapes?”
- determiner An unspecified amount of (something uncountable). “Would you like some water?”
- determiner (stressed form) A certain, an unspecified or unknown. “I've just met some guy who said he knew you.”
- determiner (stressed form) A considerable quantity or number of. “He had edited the paper for some years.”
- determiner (stressed form) Approximately, about (with a number). “She has worked at the company for some thirty years now. (31 and two months, to be exact.)”
- determiner (stressed form) Emphasizing a number. “She has worked at the company for some five years now! How remarkable!”
- determiner (informal, stressed form) A remarkable. “He is some acrobat!”
- adverb Of a measurement: approximately, roughly. “I guess he must have weighed some 90 kilos.”
- adverb (dialect) To a certain extent, or for a certain period.
- adverb (dialect) Somewhat, a little.
Synonyms
a few any -ish about all but almost approaching around by and large circa close close to essentially for all practical purposes fornigh give or take imprecisely just about kind of loosely approximately roughly more or less or so
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English som, sum, from Old English sum (“some, a certain one”), from Proto-West Germanic *sum, from Proto-Germanic *sumaz (“some, a certain one”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, whole”).
Cognate Scots sum, some (“some”), North Frisian som, sam, säm (“some”), West Frisian sommige, somlike (“some”), dialectal Dutch som, saom (“some”), standard Dutch sommige (“some”), Low German somige (“some”), German dialectal summige (“some”), Danish somme (“some”), Swedish somlig (“some”), Norwegian sum, som (“some”), Icelandic sumur (“some”), Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌼𐍃 (sums, “one, someone”). More at same.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Consisting of a greater or less portion or sum; composed of a quantity or number which is not stated; --used to express an indefinite quantity or number; as, some wine; some water; some persons. Used also pronominally; as, I have some.
- adjective A certain; one; --indicating a person, thing, event, etc., as not known individually, or designated more specifically; as, some man, that is, some one man. "Some brighter clime." Mrs. Barbauld.
Etymology [OE. som, sum, AS. sum; akin to OS., OFries., & OHG. sum, OD. som, D. sommig, Icel. sumr, Dan. somme (pl.), Sw. somlige (pl.), Goth. sums, and E. same. sq. root191. See Same, a., and cf. - some.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “some”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details