to a certain extent

collocation in English

meaningsofto,certainandextent

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withextent.
to
preposition
uk
/tuː/us
/tuː/
used before a verb to show that it is in ...
See more atto
certain
adjective
uk
/ˈsɜː.tən/us
/ˈsɝː.tən/
having no doubt or knowing exactly that something is true, or known to be true, correct, exact, ...
See more atcertain
extent
noun[S or U]
uk
/ɪkˈstent/us
/ɪkˈstent/
area or ...
See more atextent

(Definition ofto,certainandextentfrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofto a certain extent

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
They will be reduced and to acertainextentthey will be systematic.
From theCambridge English Corpus
This difference was to acertainextentunavoidable in order to match evenly the noncognate and cognate stimuli along the three gender values.
From theCambridge English Corpus
If the composition of the family changes, the house can be adjusted, and to acertainextentenlarged.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To acertainextent, this was anticipated before the study was undertaken.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Rather, it indicates that certain capitalists could not only influence, but, to acertainextent, direct the flow of (government-controlled) resources into their own hands.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Thus, these forms are to acertainextentmorphologically integrated, although this is only visible in the plural form.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The marriages of daughters and, to acertainextent, younger sons were used to weave family relationship networks in the village and nearby communities.
From theCambridge English Corpus
However, to acertainextent, they also express a 'causation of existence'.
From theCambridge English Corpus
For not only is the treaty grounded in voluntarism, but so, to acertainextent, is all international law.
From theCambridge English Corpus
But the image of a mass-medium is misleading as mass-media are sources of information that are at least to acertainextentcontrolled.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To acertainextent, this role can be described as compensating for the lack of systematic experimentation.
From theCambridge English Corpus
As such, they are flexible in character and possess to acertainextentthe ability to adjust to changing circumstances.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To acertainextent, biomass production is directly related, and the sporulation frequency and number of sporocarps are inversely related to applied phosphorus.
From theCambridge English Corpus
This was already known to acertainextent, for the hospital, through current arrangements.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Unless we ask these questions, the study will remain static and, to acertainextent, descriptive.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It is inherent in the pragmatic feature 'strength of necessity' that any measurement is bound to be relative and to acertainextentvague.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To acertainextent, the journal created an imagined professional community composed of the growing socio-professional class that included judges, public prosecutors, attorneys and clerks.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To acertainextent, these effects are transmitted, in an impersonal form, through the price mechanism as is well-known to economists.
From theCambridge English Corpus
To acertainextentwe all have to find our own way.
From theCambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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See other collocations withextent