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:
Feliciano, one minute later: “The impossible becomes possible when somebody does it. So let’s do it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Why would somebody who could play as good as my father sit in a club and play for no one except their son?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
This is not like suing somebody that’s judgment-proof or somebody can’t hire a good lawyer.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
"I know how healing it is to have somebody finally name what you have."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
But now, instead of liking her waiting, I was wondering if she’d realized that maybe she didn’t want to be sitting so close to somebody like me.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
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
Morocco, to its further credit beyond all the credit it has earned here, coped with that by playing like somebodies who found themselves belonging here.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
“So, we’re looking for somebody to replace him or somebodies as a group.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2020
Some day, Margaret, with the aid of your exceptional talent, you will be able to distinguish the veritable somebodies from the shams.
From Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays by Various
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.
