-some

¹

1. a native English suffix formerly used in the formation of adjectives.

   quarrelsome; burdensome.

-some

²

1. a collective suffix used with numerals.

   twosome; threesome.

-some

³

1. a combining form meaning “body,” used in the formation of compound words.

   chromosome.

some

⁴

[suhm, suhm]

adjective

1. being an undetermined or unspecified one.

   Some person may object.

2. (used with plural nouns) certain.

   Some days I stay home.

3. of a certain unspecified number, amount, degree, etc..

   to some extent.

4. unspecified but considerable in number, amount, degree, etc..

   We talked for some time. He was here some weeks.

5. Informal.,  of impressive or remarkable quality, consequence, extent, etc..

   That was some storm.

pronoun

1. certain persons, individuals, instances, etc., not specified.

   Some think he is dead.

2. an unspecified number, amount, etc., as distinguished from the rest or in addition.

   He paid a thousand dollars and then some.

adverb

1. (used with numerals and with words expressing degree, extent, etc.) approximately; about.

   Some 300 were present.

2. Informal.,  to some degree or extent; somewhat.

   I like baseball some. She is feeling some better today.

3. Informal.,  to a great degree or extent; considerably.

   That's going some.

some

¹

/ səm, sʌm /

determiner

1. 1. (a) certain unknown or unspecified

      some lunatic drove into my car

      some people never learn

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )

      some can teach and others can't

2. 1. an unknown or unspecified quantity or amount of

      there's some rice on the table

      he owns some horses

   2. ( as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural )

      we'll buy some

3. 1. a considerable number or amount of

      he lived some years afterwards

   2. a little

      show him some respect

4. informal,  (usually stressed) an impressive or remarkable

   that was some game!

5. a certain amount (more) (in the phrases some more and (informal) and then some )

6. about; approximately

   he owes me some thirty pounds

adverb

1. not_standard,  to a certain degree or extent

   I guess I like him some

-some

²

suffix

1. characterized by; tending to

   awesome

   tiresome

-some

³

suffix

1. indicating a group of a specified number of members

   threesome

-some

⁴

/ -səʊm /

combining form

1. a body

   chromosome

Confusables Note

As pronouns, both some and any may be used in affirmative or negative questions: Will you ( won't you ) have some? Do you ( don't you ) have any? But some is used in affirmative statements and answers: You may have some. Yes, I'd like some. And in negative statements and answers, any is the usual choice: I don't care for any. No, I can't take any.

Word History and Origins

Origin of some¹

Middle English; Old English -sum; akin to Gothic -sama, German -sam; same

Origin of some²

Middle English -sum, Old English sum; special use of some (pronoun)

Origin of some³

< Greek sôma body; soma ¹

Origin of some⁴

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and pronoun); Old English sum originally, “someone”; cognate with Middle Low German, Middle High German sum, Old Norse sumr, Gothic sums

Word History and Origins

Origin of some¹

Old English sum; related to Old Norse sumr, Gothic sums, Old High German sum some, Sanskrit samá any, Greek hamē somehow

Origin of some²

Old English -sum; related to Gothic -sama, German -sam

Origin of some³

Old English sum, special use of _some (determiner)

Origin of some⁴

from Greek sōma body

Idioms and Phrases

see and then some; catch some rays; catch some z's; dig up (some dirt); in a (some) sense; in some measure; one of these days (some day); take some doing; to some degree; win some, lose some.

Example Sentences

"If some troops appear there," the Russian president said, "especially now while the fighting's going on, we proceed from the premise that these will be legitimate targets for destruction."

From BBC

Some supervisors said they would prefer to let a judge decide.

From Los Angeles Times

Approximately 1,800 firefighters have been battling the blaze, some laying down sprinkler line to shoot water onto the hulking trees, which can grow beyond 300 feet tall.

From Los Angeles Times

Some work has been done to reduce fuels in the roughly 100-acre stretch of forest, but not all areas were treated.

From Los Angeles Times

Some parts of the grove are steep and hard to access, making them difficult to treat.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• a few 
• any