Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
You use ~ to refer to a thing, situation, event, or idea, without saying exactly what it is.
He realized right away that there was ~ wrong...
There was ~ vaguely familiar about him...
The garden was ~ special...
‘You said there was ~ you wanted to ask me,’ he said politely...
There was ~ in her attitude that bothered him...
PRON: oft PRON adj, PRON adj about n
2.
You can use ~ to say that the description or amount that you are giving is not exact.
Clive made a noise, ~ like a grunt...
There was ~ around a thousand dollars in the office strong box...
Their membership seems to have risen to ~ over 10,000.
PRON: PRON prep
3.
If you say that a person or thing is ~ or is really ~, you mean that you are very impressed by them. (INFORMAL)
The doors here are really ~, all made of good wood like mahogany...
PRON
4.
You can use ~ in expressions like ‘that’s ~’ when you think that a situation is not very good but is better that it might have been.
Well, at least he was in town. That was ~...
PRON
5.
If you say that a thing is ~ of a disappointment, you mean that it is quite disappointing. If you say that a person is ~ of an artist, you mean that they are quite good at art.
The city proved to be ~ of a disappointment...
She received ~ of a surprise when Robert said that he was coming to New York...
PRON: PRON of n
6.
If you say that there is ~ in an idea or suggestion, you mean that it is quite good and should be considered seriously.
Christianity has stood the test of time, so there must be ~ in it...
Could there be ~ in what he said?
PRON: PRON in n
7.
You use ~ in expressions such as ‘or ~’ and ‘or ~ like that’ to indicate that you are referring to ~ similar to what you have just mentioned but you are not being exact.
This guy, his name was Briarly or Beardly or ~...
The air fare was about a hundred and ninety-nine pounds or ~ like that.
PRON vagueness
8.
~ like: see like