Word
someone
Phoneticssome·one, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈsəmˌwən/
UK/sˈʌmwɒn/
Definitions
01an unknown person
A1 · Beginner
pron. used to refer to a person when you do not know their name or identity.
pron. an indefinite pronoun referring to a person of unspecified or unknown identity.
日本語:誰か※
“Someone left an umbrella in the hallway, but I don't know who it belongs to.”
“If someone calls while I am in the meeting, please take a detailed message and ask for their contact information.”
Pitfall
Someone are at the door.
Someone is at the door.
Even though 'someone' might refer to many people in a general sense, it is grammatically singular and always takes a singular verb.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02an important person
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal
n. a person who is famous, successful, or important.
n. a person of significance, social standing, or professional importance.
日本語:一人物※
“After her book became a bestseller, she felt like she was finally someone.”
“In a town this small, anyone with a steady job and a clean car is considered to be someone.”
Usage
Often used with the verb 'to be' to indicate a change in status.
Antonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “someone” in context.
Etymology
From Middle English sum on, sum one, sum oon, equivalent to some + one.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
DETERMINER
PRONOUN
Related words
Idioms
01. as if someone owns the place
02. beat someone round the ears
04. bring someone to their knees
05. call someone every name in the book
06. call someone everything but a child of God
Show all 170
18. eat someone out of house and home
19. follow someone off a cliff
21. give someone a bloody nose
25. give someone a piece of one's mind
28. give someone a speaking to
30. give someone an inch and someone will take a mile
35. give someone Hail Columbia
38. give someone something to think about
41. give someone the brush-off
44. give someone the cold shoulder
48. give someone the old heave-ho
49. give someone the runaround
52. give someone their flowers
55. give someone to understand
63. haul someone over the coals
65. have someone by the short and curlies
66. have someone by the short hairs
70. hit someone when they are down
71. I'd like to see someone try
77. keep someone on their toes
80. kick someone when they are down
81. knock someone down with a feather
83. knock someone into the middle of next week
84. knock someone off their perch
85. knock someone over with a feather
86. know someone
87. know someone from a can of paint
90. know someone in the biblical sense
92. lead someone up the garden path
93. leave someone at the altar
94. leave someone high and dry
95. leave someone holding the baby
97. leave someone in the lurch
99. leave someone out in the cold
100. leave someone to their fate
101. leave someone to their own devices
103. let someone go
104. let someone have it
105. like someone owns the place
106. lock someone up and throw away the key
107. look out for someone
109. not do someone any favors
110. not do someone any favours
113. pick on someone your own size
114. pick up what someone is putting down
115. piece of someone
116. play someone like a fiddle
117. play someone like a violin
118. put daylight between oneself and someone
119. put someone in a box
121. put someone in their place
122. put someone on blast
123. put someone on ice
124. put someone on to
125. put someone out of their misery
126. put someone to their trumps
127. put someone under
128. read someone the riot act
131. rub someone the wrong way
132. run someone off their feet
133. run someone ragged
135. scrape someone off the ceiling
136. sell someone a bill of goods
137. send someone packing
138. send someone to the showers
139. serve someone right
140. set one's watch by someone
142. show someone a thing or two
143. show someone one's etchings
145. slap someone around
146. smell what someone is stepping in
147. spare someone the details
148. spoil someone rotten
149. stop someone in their tracks
150. strike someone when they are down
151. sweep someone off their feet
152. take someone for all they've got
154. take someone to brown town
155. take someone to the grave
156. talk someone under the table
158. tell someone where to shove it
159. the gods smile on someone
161. throw someone a rope
162. wait on someone hand and foot
163. wait on someone hand, foot and finger
164. what someone said
166. what was someone thinking
167. will the real someone please stand up
168. wipe the floor with someone
169. words fail someone
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/someone
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0