a certain
idiom
1
—used to refer to a quality that is noticed but that is difficult to explain or describe
She has a certain elegance about her.
The house has a certain charm.
2
formal
—used with the name of a person one does not know
In 1889, a certain Mr. Kelly made a large donation to the church.
Examples of a certain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fan skepticism plus a hiccup or two around a certain heart-rate challenge culminated in America ranking Bissainthe and Greene toward the very bottom of the polls, surprising all the Islanders including themselves.
—
Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 12 July 2025
Gain exceeding a certain exclusion amount is subject to income tax.
—Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Cast members do not regain access to their phones for a certain amount of time.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 11 July 2025
While Eastland's initial proposal — a system with automatic alerts for when the water levels reached a certain point — was delayed, officials created a system of gauges along the Guadalupe and its tributaries, per CNN.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 11 July 2025
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Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 12 July 2025
Gain exceeding a certain exclusion amount is subject to income tax.
—Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Cast members do not regain access to their phones for a certain amount of time.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 11 July 2025
While Eastland's initial proposal — a system with automatic alerts for when the water levels reached a certain point — was delayed, officials created a system of gauges along the Guadalupe and its tributaries, per CNN.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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