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.
The problem for him wasn’t just taxes or options; it was that he didn’t have someone overseeing his entire portfolio.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
"Those studies are critically important, but the absence of risk factors does not necessarily mean someone possesses the protective factors that support exceptional brain health. This study helps demonstrate that distinction."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Or when a parent says, “Stop managing my life,” an adult child can reply, “If your wishes aren’t written down, someone else makes those decisions. That’s the opposite of independence.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
On his June 2026 song “We Know the Truth,” he rejected allegations connecting him to the killing and said he learned after arriving to perform at the festival that someone had been stabbed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The next band is setting up when I sense someone next to me.
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.
