What does "some" mean?

1. (unspecified amount or number) an amount or number of something that is not exact. 2. (an unknown person or thing) used to talk about a person or thing when you do not know which one it is. 3. (impressive or remarkable) used to show that you think something is very good or very impressive. 4. (an indefinite number or part) a certain number of people or things, but not all of them. 5. (approximately) about or roughly a certain number.

some — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I don't have some money."?

No — say "I don't have any money.". Use 'some' in positive sentences and 'any' in negative sentences or most questions.

Word

01unspecified amount or number

A1 · Beginner

det. an amount or number of something that is not exact.

det. indicates an unspecified quantity of a substance or an unspecified number of individual items.

“I need to buy some milk and some apples at the store.”

“The researcher requested some additional funding to ensure the project could continue through the winter months.”

Usage

Used with plural nouns and nouns that cannot be counted in affirmative statements.

Pitfall

I don't have some money.

I don't have any money.

Use 'some' in positive sentences and 'any' in negative sentences or most questions.

Synonyms

a fewa bit of

Antonyms

none all

02an unknown person or thing

B1 · Intermediate

det. used to talk about a person or thing when you do not know which one it is.

det. refers to a specific but unidentified or unknown person, place, or thing; used with singular nouns.

“Some man called for you earlier but he didn't leave his name.”

“There must be some mistake in the calculations, as the final figures do not align with our initial projections.”

Usage

Used with a singular noun to show the speaker does not know or care which one.

Synonyms

a certainone

03impressive or remarkable

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

det. used to show that you think something is very good or very impressive.

det. used as an intensifier to indicate that the following noun is remarkable, impressive, or significant in some way.

“That was some party last night; everyone is still talking about it.”

“It was some achievement for the young athlete to break the world record in her very first international competition.”

Teaching tip

This sense is often used with a specific tone of voice to show admiration or surprise.

Synonyms

impressive quite a

04an indefinite number or part

A1 · Beginner

pron. a certain number of people or things, but not all of them.

pron. functions as a pronoun representing an unspecified number or amount of a previously mentioned or understood noun.

“I made a lot of cookies, so please take some home with you.”

“While many participants preferred the original design, some argued that the updated version was more user-friendly.”

Usage

Can be followed by 'of' before a specific group.

Synonyms

a fewa portion

Antonyms

none all

05approximately

B1 · Intermediate

adv. about or roughly a certain number.

adv. used before a number to indicate an approximate or estimated value.

“Some eighty people attended the wedding ceremony.”

“The construction project is expected to take some six months to complete, depending on the weather conditions.”

Usage

Always placed immediately before a cardinal number.

Synonyms

about roughly approximately

Antonyms

exactly

some vs any

Some indicates a positive existence or specific quantity, while any indicates an open-ended or non-existent quantity in negatives and questions.

RememberSome for 'Yes'; Any for 'No' or 'Maybe'.

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

ADVERB

DETERMINER

some(A1)

PRONOUN