1
[ article ] determiner, in a proportion significantly less than the whole
2
[ adjective ] quantifier; used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

Examples

"have some milk" "some roses were still blooming" "having some friends over" "some apples" "some paper"

Used in print

(The Atlanta Constitution...)

Nevertheless , `` we feel that in_the_future Fulton_County should receive some portion of these available funds '' , the jurors said .

Barber , who is in his 13th year as a legislator , said there `` are some members of our congressional delegation in Washington who would_like to see it ( the resolution ) passed '' .

(Rocky Mountains News, [Denver, Colorado],...)

Despite the 45 - degree weather the game was clicked_off in 1 : 48 , thanks to only three bases_on_balls and some good infield play .

Chico_Ruiz made a spectacular play on Alusik 's grounder in the hole in the fourth and Wert came_up with some good stops and showed a strong arm at third_base .

(The Times-Picayune, [New Orleans]...)

Investors breathed more freely when it was learned that this acrobatic dancer had turned magician and was only doing a best_seller book to make some dough .

Related terms

all no both several any many few

3
[ adjective ] unknown or unspecified

Examples

"some lunatic drove into my car" "some man telephoned while you were out" "some day my prince will come" "some enchanted evening"

Used in print

(Philip Reaves, "Who Rules the Marriage Bed?"...)

Too many husbands , Dr._Schillinger continues , worry about `` how well they 're doing '' , and fear that their success depends_on some trick or technique of sexual play .

(Orlin J. Scoville, Part-Time Farming...)

For larger plantings , you 'll need some kind of power for plowing , harrowing , disking , and cultivating .

To figure the value of the farm in_terms_of investment income , divide the estimated annual net farm income by the percentage that you could expect to get in interest if the money were invested in some other way .

(Gibson Winter, The Suburban Captivity of the...)

Religious faith can be considered a necessary condition of membership in a congregation , since the decision to join a worshiping group requires some motive force , but faith is not a sufficient condition for joining ; the presence of other members of similar social and economic level is the sufficient condition .

(Edward Jablonski, Harold Arlen Happy with the Blues....)

When Harold_Arlen returned to California in the winter of 1944 , it was to take_up again a collaboration with Johnny_Mercer , begun some years before .

Related terms

unspecified

4
[ adjective ] relatively many but unspecified in number

Examples

"they were here for some weeks" "we did not meet again for some years"

Used in print

(A. N. Nagaraj and L. M. Black, "Localization of...)

When 1 ml of conjugate was passed_through a column ( * * f ) , the first and second milliliter fractions collected were the most specific and gave no nonspecific staining in some experiments , and very little in others .

(Jim Berry Pearson, The Maxwell Land Grant....)

During the following week , six tons of hay belonging to one rancher were burned ; some buildings , farm tools , two horses , plows , and hay owned by Bonito_Lavato , a friendly interpreter for the company , and Pedro_Chavez ' hay were stolen or destroyed ; and a store was broken into and robbed .

(Robert L. Duncan, The Voice of Strangers....)

His arm had been giving him some trouble and Rector was not enough of a medical expert to determine whether it had healed improperly or whether Hino was simply rebelling against the tedious work in the print_shop , using the stiffness in his arm as an excuse .

(E. Lucas Myers, "The Vindication of Dr. Nestor,"...)

The two men sat for some time , savoring the pleasure of escape from peril and the relief such escape brings , before they got_up and left the hotel , the doctor to go_to the conference_house and Alex to go_to the main post_office .

(Evan Esar, Humorous English; a guide to comic ,...)

The moonlit night was made_for romance , and he had been looking at her soulfully for some time .

Related terms

many

5
[ adverb ] (of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct

Examples

"lasted approximately an hour" "he's about 30 years old" "some forty people came" "weighs around a hundred pounds" "roughly $3,000" "holds 3 gallons, more or less" "20 or so people were there"

Used in print

(The Atlanta Constitution...)

A Highway_Department source said there also is a plan there to issue some $ 3 million to $ 4 million worth of Rural_Roads_Authority bonds for rural road construction work .

6
[ adjective ] (informal; slang) remarkable

Examples

"that was some party" "she is some skier"

7
[ pronoun ] pronoun, third person singular impersonal
8
[ adjective ] relatively much but unspecified in amount or extent

Examples

"we talked for some time" "he was still some distance away"

Used in print

(High Fidelity, 11:10...)

But having lived with the disc for some time now , I find the performance less exciting than either Schnabel 's or Fleisher 's ( whose superb performance with the Budapest_Quartet has still to be recorded ) and a good_deal less filled with humor than Curzon 's .

Related terms

much

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