someone
Americanpronoun
pronoun
Etymology
Origin of someone
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at some, one
Compare meaning
How does someone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
The word someone refers a person or an individual, but not necessarily a specific one. If you're not hungry enough for dessert after lunch, you can ask the friends at your table, "Does someone want my ice cream sandwich?" It's a funny contradiction, but the noun someone can be used to mean "any unspecified person," but also "a very important person." So a child might say, "When I grow up, I want to be someone," meaning that they want to be well-known or famous, or just really good at something. Someone and somebody are synonyms, so you can use them interchangeably, although someone is slightly more formal.
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.
A gripping narrative that might change how you see alligators: Down in the manicured exurbs of Florida, what happens when someone spots an alligator next to their pool?
From Slate • Jul. 9, 2026
“Sure, I’ve reached someone, but they don’t do anything, and actually I’m not even sure they’re the right person for me to reach to begin with.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
For example, someone who owes a contractor $2,000 might reach for their checkbook if they don’t have that much cash and want to avoid a credit-card fee.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026
"For someone that, totally unexpectedly, has made it this far, the moment hasn't seemed to overwhelm him in any matches," said seven-time Grand Slam singles champion John McEnroe.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
It only takes a few germs for someone to become infected.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
