anybody

[en-ee-bod-ee, -buhd-ee]

pronoun

1. any person.

noun

plural

anybodies 

1. a person of some importance.

   If you're anybody, you'll receive an invitation.

anybody

/ ˈɛnɪˌbɒdɪ, -bədɪ /

pronoun

1. any person; anyone

2. (usually used with a negative or a question) a person of any importance

   he isn't anybody in this town

noun

1. (often preceded by just) any person at random; no matter who

Usage

See each, they ( def. ).

Spelling Note

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of anybody¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, anybody is from Middle English ani bodi. See any, body

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. anybody's guess, a matter of conjecture.

   It's anybody's guess why she quit.

Example Sentences

“He was crying, he was like, ‘I don’t have anybody to talk to.’

From Los Angeles Times

"Luke is the captain of this ship, and he's led us better than I can see anybody leading us. He set the bar extremely high for the future captains," said Spain's Jon Rahm as his team-mates nodded in agreement.

From BBC

“I didn’t want it to be because of an injury that I stopped playing, or to be because I just couldn’t get anybody out anymore. This was perfect. It really was. It was the perfect way to do it.”

From Los Angeles Times

"They're a block on industrial strategy. It's full of - no disrespect to anybody in the room - PPE graduates who are really neoclassical. They don't understand the meaning of vocation and the meaning of work."

From BBC

"She is really transient in the way she is sleeping rough and doesn't seem like she is accessing support from anybody at the minute."

From BBC

Related Words

• anyone 
• everybody 
• everyone 
• public