something

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈsʌmθɪŋ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈsʌmˌθɪŋ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(sumthing′)

WordReference Collins English Usage © 2025
something
used in statements
You use something to refer to an object, situation, etc without saying exactly what it is.
I saw something in the shadows.
There's something strange about her.
Be careful
You don't usually use ‘something’ as part of the object of a negative sentence. Don't say, for example, ‘We haven’t had something to eat'. You say ‘We haven’t had anything to eat'.
I did not say anything.
He never seemed to do anything at all.
used in questions
In questions, you can use something or anything as part of the object. You use something when you are expecting the answer ‘yes’. For example, if you think I found something, you might ask ‘Did you find something?’ If you do not know whether I found something or not, you would ask ‘Did you find anything?’
Has something happened?
Did you buy anything?
'something' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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