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Synonyms

somebody

American  
[suhm-bod-ee, -buhd-ee, -buh-dee] / ˈsʌmˌbɒd i, -ˌbʌd i, -bə di /

pronoun

  1. some person.

noun

plural

somebodies

  1. a person of some note or importance.

somebody British  
/ ˈsʌmbədɪ /

pronoun

  1. some person; someone

"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

noun

  1. a person of greater importance than others

    he seems to be somebody in this town
"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

Etymology

Origin of somebody

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; some, body

Compare meaning

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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.

You feel an extra sense of responsibility playing somebody so young who is fighting for something that is bigger than them.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

"For somebody to think it's acceptable to wedge poo bags into a Unesco World Heritage site, well actually it makes you quite sad," she adds.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

“A generation ago, all this collected data, somebody would have had to go through it. Somebody would have had to read it and analyze it, and make inferences from it,” Guariglia said.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

“If somebody might give $50,000 a year, we’d be suggesting they contribute anywhere from four to eight times that,” DeSantis said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

He acted like he was scared somebody was listening, even though there wasn’t a soul around.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

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.