some

1 of 6

adjective

ˈsəm How to pronounce some (audio)
 for sense 2 without stress 
1
: being an unknown, undetermined, or unspecified unit or thing
some person knocked
2
a
: being one, a part, or an unspecified number of something (such as a class or group) named or implied
some gems are hard
b
: being of an unspecified amount or number
give me some water
have some apples
3
: remarkable, striking
that was some party
4
: being at least one
used to indicate that a logical proposition is asserted only of a subclass or certain members of the class denoted by the term which it modifies

some

2 of 6

pronoun

singular or plural in construction
1
: one indeterminate quantity, portion, or number as distinguished from the rest
2
: an indefinite additional amount
ran a mile and then some

some

3 of 6

adverb

ˈsəm How to pronounce some (audio)
ˌsəm
1
: about
some 80 houses
twenty-some people
2
a
: in some degree : somewhat
felt some better
b
: to some degree or extent : a little
the cut bled some
I need to work on it some more
c
used as a mild intensive
that's going some
Using Some as an Adverb: Usage Guide

When some is used to modify a number, it is almost always a round number

a community of some 150,000 inhabitants

but because some is slightly more emphatic than about or approximately it is occasionally used with a more exact number in an intensive function.

an expert parachutist, he has some 115 jumps to his credit Current Biography

When some is used without a number, most commentators feel that somewhat is to be preferred. Their advice is an oversimplification, however; only when some modifies an adjective, usually a comparative, will somewhat always substitute smoothly. When some modifies a verb or adverb, and especially when it follows a verb, substitution of somewhat may prove awkward.

Italy forced me to grow up some E. W. Brooke
I'm not a prude; I've been around some in my day Roy Rogers
here in Newport, both Southern Cross and Courageous practiced some more W. N. Wallace

-some

4 of 6

adjective suffix

: characterized by a (specified) thing, quality, state, or action
awesome
burdensome
cuddlesome

-some

5 of 6

noun suffix

: group of (so many) members and especially persons
foursome

-some

6 of 6

noun combining form

1
: body
chromosome
2
: chromosome
monosome

Example Sentences

Adjective Can I have some water? She had some interest in the job. I have some money left, but not much. I hope I've been of some help. We met some years ago. He spoke at some length about his problems. Adverb Would you like some more potatoes? I need to work on it some more. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb
Entourage is a veteran entertainment investor, having helped raise more than $50 million in financing for some 40 French films. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2023 Some of these investigations may do the country some good, and the House has a constitutional duty to hold government accountable. James Hankins, WSJ, 13 Jan. 2023 Hydroxycut has received a lot of good feedback from users who have reported seeing results within the first week or two of taking the supplement; some even within the first day. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 12 Oct. 2022 This indoor garden can grow up to six plants at a time—some even as tall as 12 inches. Kylee Mcguigan, Popular Mechanics, 15 Nov. 2022 Plus, a relay dance round that is sure to shake up the competition some more. Calie Schepp, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2022 But as Michigan took control in the second half, the Hoosiers' defense wore down and the Wolverines took advantage by pounding the ball some more. Dustin Dopirak, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Oct. 2022 Over the course of those training flights during 1910 and 1911, the Army modified the plane some more—adding wheels to the ski-like skids that constituted the original landing gear, says Jakab. Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Oct. 2022 Biologists are scratching their heads while ever-optimistic anglers continue to hold out hope for a last-minute rush, bolstered by continued reports of coho at sea — some far at sea. Bill Monroe, oregonlive, 1 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'some.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English som, adjective & pronoun, from Old English sum; akin to Old High German sum some, Greek hamē somehow, homos same — more at same

Adjective suffix

Middle English -som, from Old English -sum; akin to Old High German -sam -some, Old English sum some

Noun suffix

Middle English (northern dialect) -sum, from Middle English sum, pronoun, one, some

Noun combining form

New Latin -somat-, -soma, from Greek sōmat-, sōma

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Pronoun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of some was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near some

Cite this Entry

“Some.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/some. Accessed 7 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

some

1 of 4 adjective
ˈsəm How to pronounce some (audio)
 for sense 2b  səm,
 without stress 
1
: being one unknown, unnamed, or unspecified unit or thing
some person knocked
2
a
: being one, a part, or an unspecified number of something (as a class or group) named
some birds can't fly
b
: being of an unspecified amount or number
give me some water
have some apples
3
: worthy of notice or consideration
that was some party

some

2 of 4 pronoun
1
: a part or quantity of something
some of the milk
some of the apples
2
: an indefinite additional amount
ran a mile and then some

some

3 of 4 adverb
ˈsəm How to pronounce some (audio)
ˌsəm
1
: reasonably close to : about
some eighty houses
2
a
: somewhat entry 2
felt some better
b
: to some degree
the cut bled some

-some

4 of 4 adjective suffix
səm
1
: having the quality or nature of the thing specified
burdensome
2
: causing a (specified) feeling or condition
fearsome

More from Merriam-Webster on some

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


A Good Old-Fashioned Quiz

Spell It

Hear a word and type it out. How many can you get right?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY