somebody
Americanpronoun
noun
-
somebodies
plural
pronoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of somebody
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at some, body
Compare meaning
How does somebody compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When you're talking about a person, but not a specific one, use the word somebody. If you cook more than you can eat yourself, you might ask, "Does somebody want this extra macaroni and cheese?" Interestingly, synonyms for somebody include "whoever" and "superstar." In other words, you can use this pronoun to mean any random individual, like when you suggest that somebody is likely to get hurt at a busy intersection near your house. But you can also use it for a very important, well-known, successful, or famous person: "I don't want to get stuck in this small town — I want to be somebody!"
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.
See Examples For:
“You want to find somebody where the outcome is financial advice,” Garrett says.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
If the other parties "choose not to stand, somebody has to stand up and be the opposition. And so it's my humble duty to actually be His Majesty's official opposition," he added.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We don't believe that somebody who is willing to do that deserves release," Cat added.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
With that being said, somebody who’s having a great run right now, Chase Infiniti.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
She waited for somebody to laugh, but nobody did.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Is there somebody or somebodies that you’ve thought about for a while and said, “Well, that would fit, that could work”?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
You can think, within two seconds, of stories of nobodies who became somebodies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
"Somebody or somebodies know where this came from and how it got there," Mr Tobin said.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
Any political cartoon is bound to offend somebody — or quite a few somebodies — on a regular basis.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
Many of us, just somebodies but nobodies in especial particular, do not have a separate head at all but go in a group into the feature "Obituary Notes."
From Walking-Stick Papers by Robert Cortes Holliday
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.
