something
pron.pron. a thing that you do not name specifically. You use it when you do not know exactly what the thing is or when the name is not important.
pron. an unspecified or unknown thing, amount, or event. Functions as an indefinite pronoun and typically takes a singular verb.
I have something in my eye.
She felt something cold touch her shoulder while she was walking through the dark hallway.
The researchers noticed something unusual in the data, which prompted them to restart the entire experiment from the beginning to ensure accuracy.
From Middle English somþyng, some-thing, som thing, sum thinge, sum þinge, from Old English sum þing (literally “some thing”), equivalent to some + thing. Compare Old English āwiht (“something”, literally “some thing, any thing”), Swedish någonting (“something”, literally “some thing, any thing”).
Always treated as singular; any following adjectives must be placed after the word (e.g., 'something blue' rather than 'blue something').
I saw a something strange.I saw something strange.As a pronoun, it does not take an article like 'a' or 'the'.
- 01
a little of something goes a long way
Only a small amount of something is usually required to produce a great effect.
- 02
chalk something up to experience
To take a lesson from a bad outcome instead of grieving it.
- 03
get something over with
To proceed to do something as soon as possible, especially so as to have something unpleasant behind oneself.