anybody

[ en-ee-bod-ee, -buhd-ee ]
/ ˈɛn iˌbɒd i, -ˌbʌd i /

pronoun

any person.

noun, plural an·y·bod·ies.

a person of some importance: If you're anybody, you'll receive an invitation.

Idioms for anybody

    anybody's guess, a matter of conjecture: It's anybody's guess why she quit.

Origin of anybody

First recorded in 1250–1300, anybody is from the Middle English word ani bodi. See any, body

usage note for anybody

The pronoun anybody is always written as one word: Is anybody home? There isn't anybody in the office. The two-word noun phrase any body means “any group” ( Any body of students will include a few dissidents ) or “any physical body”: The search continued for a week despite the failure to find any body. If the word a can be substituted for any without seriously affecting the meaning, the two-word noun phrase is called for: a body of students; failure to find a body. If the substitution cannot be made, the spelling is anybody. Anybody is less formal than anyone. See also anyone, each, they.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH anybody

antibody anybody (see usage note at the current entry)

Example sentences from the Web for anybody

British Dictionary definitions for anybody

anybody
/ (ˈɛnɪˌbɒdɪ, -bədɪ) /

pronoun

any person; anyone
(usually used with a negative or a question) a person of any importance he isn't anybody in this town

noun plural -bodies

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