ENGLISH
REFERENCE

somebody

n.
A1 Beginner Oxford US //ˈsəmˌbɑdi// UK //sˈʌmbɒdi// some·body General-service

n. an unknown or unnamed person. You use this when you are talking about a person but you do not know exactly who they are.

n. an unspecified or unknown person. Functions as a singular pronoun and is often used in affirmative statements.


SIMPLE

Somebody left their umbrella in the hallway.

CONTEXTUAL

I heard somebody knocking on the front door late last night, but no one was there when I looked.

COMPLEX

The success of the project depends on somebody taking full responsibility for the final report, yet no one has volunteered for the role.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English sum body, equivalent to some + body.

Usage

Functions as a singular pronoun; typically takes a singular verb but is often followed by the gender-neutral plural possessive 'their'.

Pitfall

Somebody have my keys.Somebody has my keys.Indefinite pronouns like 'somebody' are grammatically singular and require a singular verb.

Idioms2 entries

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