a certain

idiom

—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe

She has a certain elegance about her.

The house has a certain charm.

formal

—used with the name of a person one does not know

In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.

Examples of a certain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This represents hundreds of hours of collaborative work by a sommelier team that includes Briana O’Connor, Sean Muramatsu, Jonathan Sanchez and Omar Lima, working together to find just exactly the right wine to pair with a certain cut of fish. —

Jordan Michelman, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024 The research has also suggested a role for a certain type of vitamin D (gamma-tocopherol) that appears to calm the eosinophil response to pollution. —

Linda Carroll, TIME, 30 May 2024 His peer at Irish budget airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, could receive a $108 million bonus if the airline’s shares reach a certain price level. —

Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Europe, 30 May 2024 Under a treaty from back in the 1940s, Mexico agreed to give a certain amount of water to the Lower Rio Grande region. —

Olivianna Calmes, Fox News, 28 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for a certain

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a certain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.