someone

IPA/ˈsʌmwʌn/
KK[sˈʌmwˌʌn]IPA/ˈsʌmwʌn/

someone — pronoun

1. a pronoun referring to a person the speaker cannot identify or chooses not to id

1.pronounA1
Definition

a pronoun referring to a person the speaker cannot identify or chooses not to identify

Example

Ritu saw someone standing outside the library, but she could not tell who it was.

someone + present participle for observed action

Could you ask someone to help us carry these boxes upstairs?

ask someone + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • someone else
  • someone special
  • someone new
  • someone like you
  • someone I know
  • meet someone
  • tell someone
  • find someone
Synonyms
  • somebody

    fully interchangeable with 'someone'; slightly more informal and more common in spoken English

Antonyms
  • no one

    the negative counterpart — zero people instead of an unspecified one

  • nobody

    same meaning as 'no one', interchangeable in most contexts

Grammar Patterns

someone + singular verb

refer back with they/them/their

Usage Note

Frequently referred back with singular they: 'If someone calls, tell them to wait.' While grammatically singular, the gender-neutral plural pronoun is standard in modern English for an unknown person. In formal writing, 'someone' + 'he or she' is possible but can feel stiff.

Common Mistakes

Someone are waiting for you.
Someone is waiting for you.
'Someone' always takes a singular verb, even though we often use 'they' to refer back to it.
I saw someone in the park. I think he was lost.' (when gender is unknown)
I saw someone in the park. I think they were lost.
Use singular 'they' for a person of unknown gender.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/1

'Someone' and 'somebody' are fully interchangeable in meaning — both refer to an unspecified person. 'Somebody' is slightly more informal and more frequent in casual conversation, while 'someone' works naturally in both speech and writing. 'Anyone' overlaps in meaning but has a wider distribution: it appears in negatives ('I did not see anyone'), questions ('Is anyone home?'), and conditional clauses ('If anyone asks…'). 'Someone' in a question ('Is someone there?') implies the speaker expects a positive answer, whereas 'anyone' leaves the question truly open. For learners, 'someone' is the safest choice for affirmative statements, and 'anyone' for negatives and neutral questions.

someone ↗somebody ↗anyone ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • someone else
  • someone special
  • someone new
  • someone like you

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English by combining 'some' (from Old English 'sum', meaning 'a certain one') with 'one' (from Old English 'ān'). The compound has been used as a single word meaning 'an unspecified person' since at least the 13th century.