anyone

[ en-ee-wuhn, -wuhn ]

See synonyms for anyone on Thesaurus.com

pronoun

any person at all; anybody: Did anyone see the accident?

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Origin of anyone

First recorded in 1350–1400, anyone is from Middle English ani on. See any, one

usage note For anyone

Anyone as a pronoun meaning “anybody” or “any person at all” is written as one word: Does anyone have the correct time? The two-word phrase any one means “any single member of a group of persons or things” and is often followed by of: Can any one of the members type? Any one of these books is exciting reading. Anyone is somewhat more formal than anybody.

usage note For anyone

See each, they.

Words Nearby anyone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use anyone in a sentence

The scene was heavily cordoned off to traffic and anyone not with the police, press, or residents.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects | Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
At the same time anyone could carry anything—even drugs—easily.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean | Barbie Latza Nadeau | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The injunction, she argued, only applies to these four plaintiffs—not to anyone else.
The Back Alley, Low Blow-Ridden Fight to Stop Gay Marriage in Florida Is Finally Over | Jay Michaelson | January 5, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
anyone who tries to draw attention to threats instead of quietly burying them is worsening the problem.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism | Arthur Chu | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Liberals distrust business and anyone with power—better to tell them exactly what to do.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans | Philip K. Howard | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

But just wishing never made anyone larger or taller, not even a pig, and Squinty stayed the same size.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard Barnum
"Never better pleased to see anyone in my life," said Blair, nearly shaking Lawrence's arm off.
The Courier of the Ozarks | Byron A. Dunn
Nor is there anyone of that order who talks of going back to those kingdoms without the most urgent reason making it necessary.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624 | Various
In all my life I had never seen a handsomer man, and I don't suppose anyone else there had either.
Uncanny Tales | Various
If Wee Willie Winkie took an interest in anyone, the fortunate man was envied alike by the mess and the rank and file.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for anyone

anyone

/ (ˈɛnɪˌwʌn, -wən) /

pronoun

any person; anybody
(used with a negative or a question) a person of any importance: is he anyone in this town?

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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