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
Many hiring managers, after all, most value job candidates who already have a certain level of experience in the same industry.
—
Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
Combine these approaches, putting a certain amount of weight on the moving average and the rest on the fancier trend (historically, this has been the 538 approach).
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024
The move bars contracts known as noncompetes, which prevent workers from leaving for a competitor for a certain amount of time, in most circumstances.
—J. Edward Moreno, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
As some commentators have noted, there’s a certain amount of irony afoot here.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Perhaps a note-to-self in disguise, but try not to get too attached to a certain brand.
—Talia Abbas, Vogue, 23 Apr. 2024
Coming to the surface all together gives the cicadas a certain safety-in-numbers protection.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
There’s a certain amount of legal-weed fatigue in the cannabis community.
—Mary Jane Gibson, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2024
In early April, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay six hundred million dollars in a comprehensive class-action settlement, covering individuals and businesses within a certain radius of the accident, which is still subject to court approval.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Cathy Bussewitz, Fortune, 25 Apr. 2024
Combine these approaches, putting a certain amount of weight on the moving average and the rest on the fancier trend (historically, this has been the 538 approach).
—G. Elliott Morris, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024
The move bars contracts known as noncompetes, which prevent workers from leaving for a competitor for a certain amount of time, in most circumstances.
—J. Edward Moreno, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
As some commentators have noted, there’s a certain amount of irony afoot here.
—Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2024
Perhaps a note-to-self in disguise, but try not to get too attached to a certain brand.
—Talia Abbas, Vogue, 23 Apr. 2024
Coming to the surface all together gives the cicadas a certain safety-in-numbers protection.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
There’s a certain amount of legal-weed fatigue in the cannabis community.
—Mary Jane Gibson, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2024
In early April, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay six hundred million dollars in a comprehensive class-action settlement, covering individuals and businesses within a certain radius of the accident, which is still subject to court approval.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a certain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near a certain
Cite this Entry
“A certain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20certain. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
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