anybody
Americanpronoun
noun
idioms
pronoun
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any person; anyone
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(usually used with a negative or a question) a person of any importance
he isn't anybody in this town
noun
Spelling
The pronoun anybody is always written as one word: Is anybody home? There isn't anybody in the office. The two-word noun phrase any body means “any group” ( Any body of students will include a few dissidents ) or “any physical body” ( The search continued for a week despite the failure to find any body ). If the word a can be substituted for any without seriously affecting the meaning, the two-word noun phrase is called for: a body of students; failure to find a body. If the substitution cannot be made, the spelling is anybody. Anybody is less formal than anyone. See also anyone.
Usage
See each, they ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of anybody
First recorded in 1250–1300, anybody is from Middle English ani bodi. See any, body
Compare meaning
How does anybody compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“She was full of life. Very compassionate. Very giving. She would do anything for anybody that asked. It’s devastating she’s no longer amongst us,” Ebone Jenkins said, according to the news station.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
The Slovenian prime minister congratulated Trump for pressuring his country to raise defense spending, saying that if anybody knew how stubborn Slovenians could be, it was the husband of Melania Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
"I think if anybody else were in that position, we wouldn't even be meeting today."
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
“In many, many courtrooms throughout the state today, there is nobody there, and there’s not going to be anybody there,” attorney Sonya Winner told the high court during oral arguments in Los Angeles last month.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026
“Has anything happened with you and anybody else?” he says to my back.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
