anybody

anybody — pronoun

1. any person, no matter who — used mainly in questions, after 'not', and in 'if' s

1.pronounA2
Definition

any person, no matter who — used mainly in questions, after 'not', and in 'if' sentences to talk about people in general rather than one specific person.

Example

Is anybody home? I rang the doorbell three times.

question form: Is anybody + noun/adverb

Greta didn't tell anybody about the surprise party for her sister.

negative pattern: not + anybody

Common collocations
  • anybody else
  • hardly anybody
  • is there anybody
  • anybody can
Synonyms
  • anyone

    almost identical in meaning; 'anyone' feels slightly more formal in writing

  • somebody

    preferred in positive statements when a person exists but is unknown

Antonyms
  • nobody

    means zero people; replaces 'not anybody' in subject position

Grammar Patterns

Is anybody + verb-ing?

not + anybody

if anybody + verb

Usage Note

Most natural in questions, negatives, and 'if' clauses. In positive statements, 'anybody' usually means 'every person' (as in 'Anybody can do it'). When making a positive statement about an unknown specific person, prefer 'somebody' instead.

Common Mistakes

I saw anybody at the park yesterday.
I saw somebody at the park yesterday.
use 'somebody' for a specific person in positive statements; 'anybody' belongs in questions and negatives.
Anybody didn't answer the phone.
Nobody answered the phone.' OR 'Anybody didn't' is wrong
'anybody' cannot be the subject of a negative verb; use 'nobody' instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/1

These four pronouns all refer to people in a non-specific way, but they are not interchangeable. 'Anybody' and 'anyone' carry the same meaning and grammar — both work in questions ('Is anyone there?'), negatives ('I didn't see anybody'), and conditionals ('if anyone asks'). The only real difference is style: 'anyone' sounds slightly more formal and is preferred in writing, while 'anybody' is a touch more conversational. 'Somebody' is the positive counterpart — use it when a specific person exists but you don't know or don't say who: 'Somebody left their umbrella at the door.' Switching 'somebody' to 'anybody' here would sound wrong. 'Nobody' is the negative form, replacing 'not anybody' as a subject: say 'Nobody came' rather than 'Anybody didn't come.'

anybody ↗anyone ↗somebody ↗nobody ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • hardly anybody
  • scarcely anybody

Phrases

  • anybody else
  • is there anybody
  • anybody home
  • anybody can

Prepositions

  • for anybody
  • to anybody
  • with anybody

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Formed in Middle English by joining 'any' (Old English 'ǣnig', meaning 'one of, some') with 'body', which once carried the broader sense of 'a person' rather than only the physical body. The compound 'anybody' became common from around the 14th century as a more concrete way of saying 'any person', running in parallel with 'anyone' which uses the same logic with 'one' instead of 'body'.