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.
"It's seeing the person, not the diagnosis. It's someone coming into a room holding your hand, someone acknowledging the fact that this is difficult for you," said Katie.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
If you were choosing a personal-financial planner, you’d want someone with decades’ worth of judgment and intuition—a pro with a steady demeanor that comes from having seen it all before.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
But we’re also seeing L.A. through the lens of someone who respects it anyway.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
It is the moment someone at the table inevitably says, “Eh, do we need these today?”
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
But there were a few moments, when we went into town, at powwow, or just around, when I noticed someone.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
