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.
“Butcher is aware on some level that he has this scorched-earth mentality and that he’s willing to do anything to get what he wants — and he needs someone to pull him back,” Quaid says.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
She said AeroWomen is getting the next generation "thinking 'I want to do this' and then seeing someone that does it, and then knowing that that's a thing that you possibly can do".
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
They sent someone back to look at it, and he insisted that everything was fine.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
“If someone is thinking about flipping SpaceX shares and eating the penalty, that is probably something they should keep in mind.”
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Father Julien imagines someone turning their back on his brother.
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.
