nobody

[noh-bod-ee, -buhd-ee, -buh-dee]

See more synonyms for nobody on Thesaurus.com

pronoun

no person; not anyone; no one: Nobody answered, so I hung up.

noun, plural no·bod·ies.

a person of no importance, influence, or power.

Origin of nobody

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at no², body

Can be confusednobody no one none¹ (see usage note at none¹)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for nobody

Contemporary Examples

There was nobody that I read who was like, “This is just… whatever.”
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS
Marlow Stern
January 8, 2015
Nobody ever says they want to become a cop so they can bust people for urinating in public or drinking alcohol on their stoop.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown
Michael Daly
January 7, 2015
If nobody on the outside will send Teresa money, should she learn a prison hustle?
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’
Michael Howard
January 6, 2015
Unlike the characters he plays, men who came from nowhere and, as he himself puts it, “go home to nobody.”
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
Nobody terrified audiences with a smile as well as Lee Marvin.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015

Historical Examples

They all admired and respected her, and nobody doubted the reality of her adventures.
Harriet, The Moses of Her People
Sarah H. Bradford
What I hear at night is the creaking of stairs, when I know that nobody ought to be stirring.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Hope bade one and another run for a physician, but nobody stirred.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
"Nobody ever thinks I see anything," said Aunt Jane, in some dejection.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
I desired her to give it into her own hand, when nobody was by.
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

British Dictionary definitions for nobody

nobody

pronoun

no person; no-one

noun plural -bodies

an insignificant person

xref

See everyone

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

Word Origin and History for nobody

n.

mid-14c., no body "no person noone," from Middle English no (adj.) "not any" + bodi (see body (n.)). Written as two words 14c.-18c.; hyphenated 17c.-18c. Incorrect use with their is attested from 1540s. Meaning "person of no importance" is from 1580s.

Idioms and Phrases with nobody

nobody

In addition to the idioms beginning with nobody

nobody home

also see:

like crazy (nobody's business)

nobody

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Examples from the Web for nobody

Contemporary Examples

There was nobody that I read who was like, “This is just… whatever.”

Nobody ever says they want to become a cop so they can bust people for urinating in public or drinking alcohol on their stoop.

If nobody on the outside will send Teresa money, should she learn a prison hustle?

Unlike the characters he plays, men who came from nowhere and, as he himself puts it, “go home to nobody.”

Nobody terrified audiences with a smile as well as Lee Marvin.

Historical Examples

They all admired and respected her, and nobody doubted the reality of her adventures.

What I hear at night is the creaking of stairs, when I know that nobody ought to be stirring.

Hope bade one and another run for a physician, but nobody stirred.

"Nobody ever thinks I see anything," said Aunt Jane, in some dejection.

I desired her to give it into her own hand, when nobody was by.

nobody

xref

Word Origin and History for nobody

n.

Idioms and Phrases with nobody

nobody

Origin of nobody