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

“We don’t have really good contrasting traits to make a diagnosis in anybody other than women of reproductive age,” Dunaif notes.

From Slate

“We still have a lot to accomplish, obviously, this month, and the last thing I want to do is be a distraction to anybody for accomplishing our ultimate goal, to win in the last game of the season,” Kershaw said.

From Los Angeles Times

“The current administration cannot laugh at themselves and they don’t want anybody else to laugh,” said Ken Tullo, a Hollywood resident.

From Los Angeles Times

“God rest his soul. I felt like he didn’t like anybody. Not even himself, maybe,” she says in the documentary.

From Salon

"If I didn't have the car I'd spend probably 90% of my time indoors, literally not seeing anybody or going anywhere."

From BBC

Related Words

• anyone 
• everybody 
• everyone 
• public