You use any in statements with negative meaning to indicate that no thing or person of a particular type exists, is present, or is involved in a situation.
I never make any big decisions.
I'm not making any promises.
We are doing this all without any support from the hospital.
Earlier reports were unable to confirm that there were any survivors.
It is too early to say what effect, if any, there will be on the workforce.
Synonyms: a scrap of, a bit of, a grain of, a fragment of More Synonyms of any
Any is also a quantifier.
You don't know any of my friends.
There was nothing you could do, nothing any of us could do.
Synonyms: a single one, any one, a single member, NE [text messaging] More Synonyms of any
Any is also a pronoun.
The children needed new school clothes and Kim couldn't afford any.
2. determiner
You use any in questions and conditional clauses to ask whether there is some of a particular thing or some of a particular group of people,or to suggest that there might be.
Do you speak any foreign languages?
Have you got any cheese I can have with this bread?
Any is also a quantifier.
Introduce foods one at a time and notice if you feel uncomfortable with any of them.
Have you ever used a homeopathic remedy for any of the following reasons?
Any is also a pronoun.
If any bright thoughts occur to you pass them straight to me. Have you got any?
I'll keep an eye out for books and if I find any, I'll send them to you.
3. determiner
You use any in positive statements when you are referring to someone or something of a particular kind that might exist, occur, or be involvedin a situation, when their exact identity or nature is not important.
Any actor will tell you that it is easier to perform than to be themselves.
I'm prepared to take any advice.
I would overcome any weakness, any despair, any fear.
Synonyms: whichever, every, NE [text messaging] More Synonyms of any
Any is also a quantifier.
Nealy disappeared two days ago, several miles away from any of the fighting.
It had been the biggest mistake any of them could remember.
Any is also a pronoun.
Clean the mussels and discard any that do not close.
...mangoes, bananas, pineapples, pears, and grapes as delicious as any you have evereaten.
4. adverb
You can also use any to emphasize a comparative adjective or adverb in a negative statement.
[emphasis]
I can't see things getting any easier for graduates.
Anne's not getting any younger.
Synonyms: at all, somewhat, in the least, to an extent More Synonyms of any
5.
See not just any
6.
See any more
7. in any case
8. by any chance
9. in any event
10. not by any means
11. any old
12. at any rate
English Easy Learning GrammarDeterminersDeterminers are words that make the reference of nouns more specific. If I say ‘thiscar’ it is clear that I mean a particular car which is near me. If ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarIndefinite pronounsThe indefinite pronouns are used when you do not know or do not need to say preciselywho or what you are referring to. The noun phrase which they substitute ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarNoun phrases with several determinersMost noun phrases contain only one determiner or none at all, but if there are more,they follow a definite order. Determiners can be divided into four ... Read more
any in British English
(ˈɛnɪ)
determiner
1.
a.
one, some, or several, as specified, no matter how much or many, what kind or quality, etc
any cheese in the fridge is yours
you may take any clothes you like
b.
(as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural)
take any you like
2. (usually used with a negative)
a.
even the smallest amount or even one
I can't stand any noise
b.
(as pronoun; functioning as sing or plural)
don't give her any
3.
whatever or whichever; no matter what or which
any dictionary will do
any time of day
4.
an indefinite or unlimited amount or number (esp in the phrases any amount or number)
any number of friends
adverb
5. (usually used with a negative)
a. (foll by a comparative adjective)
to even the smallest extent
it isn't any worse now
b. not standard
at all
he doesn't care any
Word origin
Old English ǣnig; related to Old Frisian ēnig, Old High German einag, Old Norse einigr anyone, Latin ūnicus unique; see an1, one
any in American English
(ˈɛni)
adjective
1.
one, no matter which, of more than two
any pupil may answer
2.
some, no matter how much or how little, how many, or what kind
he can't tolerate any criticism
3.
without limit
entitled to any number of admissions
4.
even one; the least amount or number of
I haven't any dimes
5.
every
any child can do it
6.
of considerable size or extent
we won't be able to travel any distance before nightfall
pronoun (sing. & pl.)
7.
any one or ones; any amount or number
adverb
8.
to any degree or extent; at all
is he any better this morning?
Word origin
ME ani < OE ænig < an, one; akin to Ger einig, ON einigr
Examples of 'any' in a sentence
any
Use any extra time in the next few days to record ideas and perfect a plan.
The Sun (2016)
We would help in any way we could.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This health service cannot take any more people.
The Sun (2016)
You got any big celebrations coming up?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
None of the parties would make any comment.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
So will things really be any different this time?
The Sun (2016)
Are you seeing any interesting trends with wireless devices?
Computing (2010)
MPs want assurances that any sale will guarantee the environmental purpose of the bank.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Does any of this matter?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I don't keep my feelings in any more.
The Sun (2016)
You can use any leftover mixture to stuff pine cones.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You need to express your grief any way that helps you.
The Sun (2010)
Leaving people without any money is an utter disgrace.
The Sun (2014)
We should be free to decide if we want it to grow any bigger.
The Sun (2015)
Without boots on the ground it will be difficult to make any change.
The Sun (2015)
Yet he is no more an expert in this matter than any devotee of football.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Stop and knock on the door any time you see such signs.
Millon, Kim & Millon, Marc The Wine Roads of France (1989)
Will things become any clearer next year?
The Sun (2013)
Try to keep yourself aware of any negative feelings and find other ways to off load them.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
None of my clothes fit any more.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This might help avoid pursuing any more cases that the public would not consider dishonest at all.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The club will always be bigger than any player or manager.
The Sun (2012)
No consideration of any other matter is raised in the audit reports given to the dealer.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
They show no concern for any of these things.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This results in a feeling of alertness and arousal which makes any feelings of fear worse.
Vera Peiffer POSITIVELY FEARLESS: Breaking free of the fears that hold you back (2001)
Any new clothes or treats for any of us are rare.
The Sun (2008)
At the end of the report list any references used or further reading suggested.
Harris, Jean Everything You Need to Know for Success in Business (1990)
They are always there to help you in any way.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Few people any longer look down on activities that test nerve and aim rather than conventional athleticism.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Why not call a referendum to ask whether we want any more referendums: yes or no?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Don't make any plans for the wedding unless this greatly improves.
The Sun (2014)
He doesn't want me any more.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
any
British English: any /ˈɛnɪ/ DETERMINER
some You use any to mean some of a thing.
Is there any juice left?
American English: any
Arabic: أَيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: qualquer
Chinese: 任何一个
Croatian: ikoji
Czech: jakýkoliv
Danish: nogen/noget
Dutch: enige
European Spanish: alguno
Finnish: mikä tahansa
French: un peu de
German: irgendein
Greek: οποιοσδήποτε
Italian: qualche
Japanese: どれでも
Korean: 어떤
Norwegian: noe
Polish: jakiś
European Portuguese: algum
Romanian: niște
Russian: какой-нибудь
Latin American Spanish: algún
Swedish: någon
Thai: บ้าง
Turkish: her
Ukrainian: скільки-небудь
Vietnamese: bất kỳ
British English: any /ˈɛnɪ/ PRONOUN
Any is used in negative sentences to show that no person or thing is involved.
The children needed new clothes and we couldn't afford any.
American English: any
Arabic: أَيُّ مِنْ
Brazilian Portuguese: qualquer um
Chinese: 任何一个
Croatian: išta
Czech: nějaký
Danish: nogen/noget
Dutch: enige
European Spanish: ninguno
Finnish: yhtään
French: tout
German: irgendein
Greek: κανένας
Italian: nessuno
Japanese: どれでも
Korean: 어느 것
Norwegian: noen
Polish: jakikolwiek
European Portuguese: nenhum
Romanian: niciunul
Russian: никакой
Latin American Spanish: alguno
Swedish: vilken som helst
Thai: จำนวนหนึ่ง
Turkish: herhangi
Ukrainian: який-небудь
Vietnamese: bất kỳ người/vật nào
British English: any /ˈɛnɪ/ DETERMINER
whichever You use any to show that it does not matter which one.
Take any book you want.
American English: any
Arabic: أَيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: qualquer
Chinese: 任何
Croatian: bilo koji
Czech: jakýkoli
Danish: enhver
Dutch: welk
European Spanish: cualquiera
Finnish: mikä tahansa
French: n'importe lequel
German: jedes
Greek: όποιο
Italian: qualsiasi
Japanese: どの･･･でも
Korean: 아무
Norwegian: hvilken (som helst)
Polish: jakikolwiek
European Portuguese: qualquer
Romanian: orice
Russian: любой
Latin American Spanish: cualquiera
Swedish: vilken som helst
Thai: ใดก็ตาม
Turkish: herhangi bir
Ukrainian: який-небудь
Vietnamese: bất kỳ
All related terms of 'any'
any old
You use any old to emphasize that the quality or type of something is not important . If you say that a particular thing is not any old thing, you are emphasizing how special or famous it is.
any one
any single
any luck
If you ask someone the question ' Any luck ? ' or ' No luck? ', you want to know if they have been successful in something they were trying to do.
any more
If something does not happen or is not true any more or any longer , it has stopped happening or is no longer true.
any occupation
Any occupation insurance covers a person if they cannot work under any circumstances , in any occupation, following an accident , injury, or disability .
at any cost
If you say that something must be done at any cost , you are emphasizing that it must be done, even if this requires a lot of effort or money .
at any price
If you want something at any price , you are determined to get it, even if unpleasant things happen as a result .
at any rate
You use at any rate to indicate that what you have just said might be incorrect or unclear in some way, and that you are now being more precise .
at any time
If something could happen at any time , it is possible that it will happen very soon , though nobody can predict exactly when.
by any means
in any way possible; at all; somehow
in any case
You say in any case when you are adding something which is more important than what you have just said , but which supports or corrects it.
in any event
You say in any event after you have been discussing a situation , in order to indicate that what you are saying is true or possible , in spite of anything that has happened or may happen.
not just any
If you say that someone or something is not just any person or thing, you mean that they are special in some way .
any number of
several or many
by any chance
You can use by any chance when you are asking questions in order to find out whether something that you think might be true is actually true.
not having any
refusing to take part or be involved (in)
with any luck
You can add with luck or with any luck to a statement to indicate that you hope that a particular thing will happen .
anymore
If something does not happen or is not true anymore , it has stopped happening or is no longer true.
get any good of
to handle to good effect
go to any length
to do whatever is necessary ; scruple at nothing
hardly ever hardly any hardly anyone
You use hardly in expressions such as hardly ever , hardly any , and hardly anyone to mean almost never , almost none , or almost no-one.
(at) any minute (now)
If you say that something will or may happen at any minute or any minute now , you are emphasizing that it is likely to happen very soon .
(at) any moment (now)
If you say that something will or may happen at any moment or any moment now , you are emphasizing that it is likely to happen very soon .
no longer
Something that is no longer the case used to be the case but is not the case now. You can also say that something is not the case any longer .
at all costs
If you say that something must be avoided at all costs , you are emphasizing that it must not be allowed to happen under any circumstances .
any amount of something
If you say that there is any amount of something, there is a lot of it. If you say that there are any amount of people or things, there are many people or things.
any day/moment/time now
If you say that something will happen any day now , any moment now , or any time now , you mean that it will happen very soon .
by any manner of means
in any way ; at all
in any shape or form
If you say , for example , that you will not accept something in any shape or form , or in any way , shape or form , you are emphasizing that you will not accept it in any circumstances .
every which way
Every which way and any which way are used to emphasize that something happens , or might happen, in a lot of different ways, or using a lot of different methods .
in no way
You use in no way or not in any way to emphasize that a statement is not at all true .
none the wiser/any the wiser
If you say that someone is none the wiser after an event or an explanation , or that nobody is any the wiser after it, you mean that they have failed to understand it, or are not fully aware of what happened .
by no means
on no account ; in no way
not lose any sleep over something
to not worry about something at all
under any circumstances/under any circumstance
You can emphasize that something must not or will not happen by saying that it must not or will not happen under any circumstances .
by any stretch of the imagination not by any stretch of the imagination
If you say that something is not true or possible by any stretch of the imagination , you are emphasizing that it is completely untrue or absolutely impossible .
not by any means by no means/by no manner of means
You use expressions such as ' by no means ', ' not by any means ', and ' by no manner of means ' to emphasize that something is not true .
it's an ill wind
said to point out that unpleasant events and difficult situations often have unexpected good effects
by any stretch of the imagination/by no stretch of the imagination not by any stretch of the imagination
If you say that something is not true or possible by any stretch of the imagination , you are emphasizing that it is completely untrue or absolutely impossible .
Chinese translation of 'any'
any
(ˈɛnɪ)
adj
(in negatives, in questions) 一些的 (yīxiē de)
I haven't any chocolate/sweets我没(沒)有巧克力/糖了 (wǒ méiyǒu qiǎokèlì/táng le)
without any help没(沒)有任何帮(幫)助 (méiyǒu rènhé bāngzhù)
there was hardly any food几(幾)乎没(沒)有食物了 (jīhū méiyǒu shíwù le)
there were hardly any potatoes几(幾)乎没(沒)有土豆了 (jīhū méiyǒu tǔdòu le)
have you got any chocolate/sweets?你有巧克力/糖吗(嗎)？ (nǐ yǒu qiǎokèlì/táng ma?)
are there any others?还(還)有其他人吗(嗎)？ (háiyǒu qítā rén ma?)
(in "if" clauses) 任何的 (rènhé de)
if there are any tickets left如果有票剩下的话(話) (rúguǒ yǒu piào shèngxia de huà)
(= no matter which) 任意的 (rènyì de)
take any card you like拿你喜欢(歡)的任意一张(張)卡 (ná nǐ xǐhuan de rènyì yī zhāng kǎ)
any excuse will do任何一个(個)理由都行 (rènhé yī gè lǐyóu dōu xíng)
any teacher will tell you that ... 任何一个(個)老师(師)都会(會)告诉(訴)你 ... (rènhé yī gè lǎoshī dōu huì gàosù nǐ ... )
(in expressions)
any day now从(從)现(現)在起的任何一天 (cóng xiànzài qǐ de rènhé yītiān)
(at) any moment(在)任何时(時)候 ((zài) rènhé shíhou)
any time (= whenever) 不论(論)何时(時) (bùlùn héshí) (also at any time) 在任何时(時)候 (zài rènhé shíhou)
⇒ He could be sent for (at) any time.他可以随叫随到。 (Tā kěyǐ suí jiào suí dào.)
any time you feel like a chat, just call me任何时(時)候你想聊天，就给(給)我打电(電)话(話) (rènhé shíhou nǐ xiǎng liáotiān, jiù gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà)
the bomb could go off (at) any time炸弹(彈)任何时(時)候都可能爆炸 (zhàdàn rènhé shíhou dōu kěnéng bàozhà)
at any rate (= more precisely) 至少 (zhìshǎo) (= whatever the case) 无(無)论(論)如何 (wúlùn rúhé)
she wanted to buy a dress but not just any dress她想买(買)件礼(禮)服，但要有点(點)特别(別)的那种(種) (tā xiǎng mǎi jiàn lǐfú, dàn yào yǒudiǎn tèbié de nàzhǒng)
pron
(in negatives) 一些 (yīxiē)
I didn't eat any (of it)我(这(這))一点(點)也没(沒)吃 (wǒ (zhè) yīdiǎn yě méi chī)
I haven't any (of them)我一个(個)也没(沒)有 (wǒ yī gè yě méiyǒu)
there was nothing any of us could do to help我们(們)没(沒)有一个(個)人能帮(幫)得上忙 (wǒmen méiyǒu yī gè rén néng bāng de shàng máng)
(in questions) 一些 (yīxiē)
have you got any?你有吗(嗎)？ (nǐ yǒu ma?)
can any of you sing?你们(們)中间(間)有谁(誰)会(會)唱歌？ (nǐmen zhōngjiān yǒu shuí huì chànggē?)
(in "if" clauses) 任何 (rènhé)
if any of you would like to take part, ... 如果你们(們)中任何人想参(參)加的话(話)， ... (rúguǒ nǐmen zhōng rènhé rén xiǎng cānjiā de huà, ... )
(= no matter which ones) 无(無)论(論)哪一个(個) (wúlùn nǎ yī gè)
help yourself to any of the books无(無)论(論)哪本书(書)你随(隨)便拿 (wúlùn nǎ běn shū nǐ suíbiàn ná)
adv
(with negative) 丝(絲)毫 (sīháo)
I can't see things getting any better我看不出事情有丝(絲)毫好转(轉) (wǒ kàn bù chū shìqing yǒu sīháo hǎozhuǎn)
I don't play tennis any more我不再打网(網)球了 (wǒ bùzài dǎ wǎngqiú le)
don't wait any longer不再等了 (bùzài děng le)
(in questions) ... 一点(點) ( ... yīdiǎn)
are you feeling any better?你感觉(覺)稍好一点(點)吗(嗎)？ (nǐ gǎnjué shāohǎo yīdiǎn ma?)
do you want any more soup/sandwiches?你还(還)想再要点(點)汤(湯)/三明治吗(嗎)？ (nǐ hái xiǎng zài yào diǎn tāng/sānmíngzhì ma?)
(in "if" clauses) 再 ... 一点(點) (zài ... yīdiǎn)
if it had been any colder we would have frozen to death如果再冷一点(點)，我们(們)就要被冻(凍)死了 (rúguǒ zài lěng yīdiǎn, wǒmen jiùyào bèi dòngsǐ le)
All related terms of 'any'
any time
任何时(時)候 rènhé shíhou
any day now
从(從)现(現)在起的任何一天 cóng xiànzài qǐ de rènhé yītiān
at any rate
( at least ) 无(無)论(論)如何 wúlùn rúhé
in any case
无(無)论(論)如何 wúlùn rúhé
any amount of
许(許)多 xǔduō
any number of
( things, reasons ) 许(許)多 xǔduō
any old thing
( inf ) 随(隨)便什么(麼)东(東)西 suíbiàn shénme dōngxi
by any chance
有没(沒)有可能 yǒu méiyǒu kěnéng ⇒ Are they by any chance related? → 他们是否有可能有联系？ Tāmen shìfǒu yǒu kěnéng yǒu liánxì?
in any event
不管怎样(樣) bùguǎn zěnyàng
I haven't any (of them)
我一个(個)也没(沒)有 wǒ yī gè yě méiyǒu
is it any good?
( will it do? ) 这(這)行吗(嗎)？ Zhè xíng ma? ⇒ There's no honey, is sugar any good? → 没有蜂蜜糖，行吗？ Méiyǒu fēngmì, táng xíng ma?
某些/每个(個)/没(沒)有/任何地方 mǒuxiē/měigè/méiyǒu/rènhé dìfang [ 个(個) gè ] ⇒ The poor guy obviously didn't have any place to go. → 那个可怜的家伙显然没有任何地方可去。 Nàge kělián de jiāhuo xiǎnrán méiyǒu rènhé dìfang kě qù.
take any card you like
拿你喜欢(歡)的任意一张(張)卡 ná nǐ xǐhuan de rènyì yī zhāng kǎ