a certain
idiom
1
—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.
2
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
What has attracted me to this community is understanding that there’s a certain population here that has been neglected.
—
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The California Legislature is considering a bill that would require tech giants like Google, Facebook and Microsoft to pay a certain percentage of advertising revenue to media companies for linking to their content.
—Adam Beam and Trân Nguyễn, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
In a hydroponic system, that number is strict as there’s only a certain number of slots for seed pods.
—Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
Aside from the celebratory spirit throughout the evening, there was also a certain level of warmth and familiarity.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
There’s a certain level of prestige associated with Washington, D.C., one that comes with a good bit of glamor and wonder.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024
Airy melodies, haunting orchestrations, and a certain sweetness of spirit define the music of Camel—one of rock’s most criminally underrated bands.
—Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
Legislation has yet to be proposed but under MPA’s vision, a process overseen by a federal judge will be created in which a copyright holder can move for an order to block a certain site, says MPA senior vice president and associate general counsel Ben Sheffner.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
At one point, Privat griped that a certain Hong Kong restaurant had plagiarized his concept.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The California Legislature is considering a bill that would require tech giants like Google, Facebook and Microsoft to pay a certain percentage of advertising revenue to media companies for linking to their content.
—Adam Beam and Trân Nguyễn, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024
In a hydroponic system, that number is strict as there’s only a certain number of slots for seed pods.
—Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
Aside from the celebratory spirit throughout the evening, there was also a certain level of warmth and familiarity.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 11 Apr. 2024
There’s a certain level of prestige associated with Washington, D.C., one that comes with a good bit of glamor and wonder.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024
Airy melodies, haunting orchestrations, and a certain sweetness of spirit define the music of Camel—one of rock’s most criminally underrated bands.
—Ernesto Lechner, SPIN, 11 Apr. 2024
Legislation has yet to be proposed but under MPA’s vision, a process overseen by a federal judge will be created in which a copyright holder can move for an order to block a certain site, says MPA senior vice president and associate general counsel Ben Sheffner.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
At one point, Privat griped that a certain Hong Kong restaurant had plagiarized his concept.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share