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Synonyms

anyone

American  
[en-ee-wuhn, -wuhn] / ˈɛn iˌwʌn, -wən /

pronoun

  1. any person at all; anybody.

    Did anyone see the accident?
anyone British  
/ ˈɛnɪˌwʌn, -wən /

pronoun

  1. any person; anybody

  2. (used with a negative or a question) a person of any importance

    is he anyone in this town?

  3. (often preceded by just) any person at random; no matter who

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Spelling

Anyone as a pronoun meaning “anybody” or “any person at all” is written as one word: Does anyone have the correct time? The two-word phrase any one means “any single member of a group of persons or things” and is often followed by of: Can any one of the members type? Any one of these books is exciting reading. Anyone is somewhat more formal than anybody.

Usage

See each, they ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of anyone

First recorded in 1350–1400, anyone is from Middle English ani on. See any, one

Compare meaning

How does anyone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That equals the joint-best return from the first nine games as manager from anyone in the competition's history.

From BBC

A police spokesperson added: "We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation."

From BBC

As Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at the Carson Group, said to MarketWatch on Saturday: “To think we are going to have a calm start to March probably isn’t on anyone’s bingo card.”

From MarketWatch

"Wherever we were in the world, he was always proud to be that working class Brummie and he never let anyone forget it."

From BBC

Justice Department officials have said they didn’t find evidence to bring charges against anyone else and that some of the files contained unverified allegations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.