Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

3 DET You use any in positive statements when you are referring to someone or something of a particular kind that might exist, occur, or be involved in 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. ● QUANT Any is also a quantifier. □  It had been the biggest mistake any of them could remember. ● PRON Any is also a pronoun. □  Clean the mussels and discard any that do not close.

4 ADV 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.

5 PHRASE If you say that someone or something is not just any person or thing, you mean that they are special in some way. □  It's fashionable for young people to wear trainers, but not just any trainers.

6 PHRASE If something does not happen or is not true any more or any longer , it has stopped happening or is no longer true. □  I don't want to see her any more. □  I couldn't keep the tears hidden any longer.

7in any case → see case ➊

8by any chance → see chance

9in any event → see event

10not by any means → see means

11any old → see old

12at any rate → see rate

any|body ◆◇◇ /e nibɒdi/ PRON Anybody means the same as anyone .

any|how /e nihaʊ/

1 ADV Anyhow means the same as anyway .

2 ADV [ADV after v] If you do something anyhow , you do it in a careless or untidy way. □  …her long legs which she displayed all anyhow getting in and out of her car.

any|more /e nimɔː ^r / In British English, the spelling anymore is sometimes considered incorrect, and any more is used instead. ADV [ADV after v] If something does not happen or is not true anymore , it has stopped happening or is no longer true. □  I don't ride my motorbike much anymore. □  I couldn't trust him anymore.

any|one ◆◆◇ /e niwʌn/ or anybody

1 PRON You use anyone or anybody in statements with negative meaning to indicate in a general way that nobody is present or involved in an action. □  You needn't talk to anyone if you don't want to. □  He was far too scared to tell anybody.

2 PRON You use anyone or anybody in questions and conditional clauses to ask or talk about whether someone is present or doing something. □  Why would anyone want that job? □  If anyone deserves to be happy, you do.

3 PRON You use anyone or anybody before words which indicate the kind of person you are talking about. □  It's not a job for anyone who is slow with numbers. □  Anybody interested in pop culture at all should buy this movie.

4 PRON You use anyone or anybody to refer to a person when you are emphasizing that it could be any person out of a very large number of people. [EMPHASIS ] □  Anyone could be doing what I'm doing.

5 PHRASE You use anyone who is anyone and anybody who is anybody to refer to people who are important or influential.

any|place /e niple I s/ ADV [ADV after v] Anyplace means the same as anywhere . [AM , INFORMAL ] □  She didn't have anyplace to go.

any|thing ◆◆◆ /e n I θ I ŋ/

1 PRON You use anything in statements with negative meaning to indicate in a general way that nothing is present or that an action or event does not or cannot happen. □  We can't do anything. □  She couldn't see or hear anything at all. □  By the time I get home, I'm too tired to do anything active.

2 PRON You use anything in questions and conditional clauses to ask or talk about whether something is present or happening. □  What happened, is anything wrong? □  Did you find anything? □  Is there anything you can do to help?