everyone

everyone — pronoun

1. All the people in a particular group, considered as individuals — for instance,

1.pronounA2
Definition

All the people in a particular group, considered as individuals — for instance, everyone in a room, at a school, or across the whole world, with no person left out.

Example

Everyone in the class passed the math test on Friday morning.

everyone + in + [group] for membership

The manager thanked everyone for their hard work during the busy season.

everyone … their [noun] (singular they)

Common collocations
  • everyone + in/at/on (a group or place)
  • everyone + else
  • everyone + has/knows/likes/needs/wants
  • thank/welcome/tell/invite everyone
  • everyone + singular verb (is/has/does/was)
Synonyms
  • everybody

    identical in meaning; slightly less formal and more common in spoken English

  • all

    can replace 'everyone' when the group is already clear from context; slightly less precise

  • each person

    more emphatic about individuality; not used as a single-word replacement

Antonyms
  • nobody

    no person at all; the exact opposite of 'everyone'

  • no one

    identical to 'nobody' in meaning; interchangeable in most contexts

Grammar Patterns

everyone + in/at/on + [group/place]

everyone + else

everyone + [singular verb]

everyone … their [noun]

Usage Note

Even though it refers to many people, 'everyone' takes a singular verb in standard English ('Everyone is ready', NOT 'Everyone are ready'). In modern English, singular they/them/their is the preferred pronoun to refer back to 'everyone', replacing the older 'he' or 'he or she'.

Common Mistakes

Everyone are happy with the new schedule.
Everyone is happy with the new schedule.
'Everyone' is grammatically singular and must be followed by a singular verb.
Everyone should bring his own lunch.
Everyone should bring their own lunch.
The singular 'they/their' is now standard for referring back to 'everyone'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/1

'Everyone' and 'everybody' are interchangeable in nearly all contexts — 'everyone' is slightly more common in writing, while 'everybody' feels more natural in casual conversation. 'All' is broader: it can refer to people ('All were satisfied'), things ('All is well'), or abstract concepts, whereas 'everyone' refers only to people. 'Each person' puts stronger emphasis on individuals considered one by one and is rarely used as a simple replacement. 'Every one' (two words) is a different construction meaning 'each individual item or person' and is usually followed by 'of' ('every one of the students'). Compare: 'Everyone was invited' (general) versus 'Every one of the students was invited' (emphasising each individually).

everybody ↗all ↗each personevery one

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • almost everyone
  • nearly everyone
  • practically everyone
  • virtually everyone

Phrases

  • everyone else
  • everyone but [someone]
  • everyone from … to …
  • everyone in the room / building / family / world
  • thank everyone for
  • tell everyone about
  • welcome everyone to

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed by joining 'every' (from Old English 'ǣfre ǣlc', meaning 'ever each') with 'one' (from Old English 'ān'). The compound originally appeared in Middle English as 'everichon' and gradually merged into the modern single-word form 'everyone' by the 16th century. The spelling with two words 'every one' still exists but carries a different meaning (emphasising each individual item).