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:
There’s a chilling moment at the end of the film where somebody asks him, “Why have you accreted so much power?”
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
We did a “social reformers” panel, where you had to play somebody from a social movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Yet in the same interview, he gave credit for surviving his near-death experience in the Philippines: “It was just somebody up there.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
"I didn't want to go down that route without having somebody by my side to guide me through it," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Papa looked at Mama and said, “Must be somebody coming.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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
"If the produce that I've been growing is contaminated in some way, hows it going to affect somebodies health. How is it going to affect my health?," she said.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
You can think, within two seconds, of stories of nobodies who became somebodies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
“So, we’re looking for somebody to replace him or somebodies as a group.”
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2020
"They know French," she would reply in a voice of infinite mortification, when her husband expressed his indignant astonishment at finding these "nobodies" on 'change, "somebodies" at the Opera.
From Graham's Magazine Vol XXXIII No. 1 July 1848 by Robert Taylor Conrad
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
