noun
Meaning 1
A partially specified but unnamed person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Do you need a gift for that special someone?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
someone
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsʌmwʌn/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʌmwʌn
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CMU ARPABET: S AH1 M W AH2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
An important person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- He thinks he has become someone.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
pron
Meaning 3
One or some person of unspecified or indefinite identity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Can someone help me, please?
- Can you get me someone more knowledgeable?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
a human being
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- there was too much for one person to do
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: person, individual, somebody, mortal, soul
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: organism, being, causal agent, cause, causal agency
Narrower terms: self, adult, grownup, adventurer, venturer, anomaly, unusual person, applicant, applier, appointee, appointment, capitalist, captor, capturer, changer, modifier, color-blind person, commoner, common man, common person, communicator, contestant, coward, creator, disputant, controversialist, eristic, engineer, applied scientist, technologist, entertainer, experimenter, expert, face, female, female person, individualist, inhabitant, habitant, dweller, denizen, indweller, native, indigen, indigene, aborigine, aboriginal, innocent, inexperienced person, intellectual, intellect, juvenile, juvenile person, lover, loved one, leader, male, male person, money handler, money dealer, national, subject, nonreligious person, nonworker, peer, equal, match, compeer, perceiver, percipient, observer, beholder, percher, precursor, forerunner, primitive, primitive person, religious person, sensualist, traveler, traveller, unfortunate, unfortunate person, unwelcome person, persona non grata, unskilled person, worker, African, person of color, person of colour, Black, Black person, blackamoor, Negro, Negroid, White, White person, Caucasian, Amerindian, Native American, Slav, gentile, Jew, Hebrew, Israelite, Aries, Ram, Taurus, Bull, Gemini, Twin, Cancer, Crab, Leo, Lion, Virgo, Virgin, Libra, Balance, Scorpio, Scorpion, Sagittarius, Archer, Capricorn, Goat, Aquarius, Water Bearer, Pisces, Fish, abator, abjurer, abomination, abstainer, abstinent, nondrinker, achiever, winner, success, succeeder, acquaintance, friend, acquirer, active, actor, doer, adjudicator, admirer, adoptee, adversary, antagonist, opponent, opposer, resister, advisee, advocate, advocator, proponent, exponent, affiant, agnostic, doubter, amateur, ancient, anti, anti-American, apprehender, appreciator, archaist, arrogator, assessee, asthmatic, authority, autodidact, baby boomer, boomer, baby buster, buster, bad guy, bad person, baldhead, baldpate, baldy, balker, baulker, noncompliant, bullfighter, toreador, bather, beard, bedfellow, bereaved, bereaved person, best, topper, birth, biter, blogger, blond, blonde, bluecoat, bodybuilder, muscle builder, muscle-builder, musclebuilder, muscleman, bomber, brunet, brunette, candidate, prospect, case, cashier, celebrant, celebrator, celebrater, censor, chameleon, charmer, beguiler, child, baby, chutzpanik, closer, clumsy person, collector, aggregator, combatant, battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper, complexifier, compulsive, computer user, contemplative, convert, copycat, imitator, emulator, ape, aper, counter, counterterrorist, crawler, creeper, creature, wight, creditor, cripple, dancer, social dancer, dead person, dead soul, deceased person, deceased, decedent, departed, deaf person, debaser, degrader, debtor, debitor, defecator, voider, shitter, delayer, deliverer, demander, dieter, differentiator, discriminator, disentangler, unraveler, unraveller, dissenter, dissident, protester, objector, divider, domestic partner, significant other, spousal equivalent, spouse equivalent, double, image, look-alike, dresser, dribbler, driveller, slobberer, drooler, drug user, substance abuser, user, dyslectic, ectomorph, effecter, effector, Elizabethan, emotional person, endomorph, enjoyer, enrollee, ethnic, explorer, extrovert, extravert, faddist, faller, fastener, fiduciary, first-rater, follower, free agent, free spirit, freewheeler, fugitive, runaway, fleer, gainer, weight gainer, gambler, gatekeeper, gatherer, good guy, good person, granter, greeter, saluter, welcomer, grinner, groaner, grunter, guesser, handicapped person, hater, heterosexual, heterosexual person, straight person, straight, homosexual, homophile, homo, gay, homunculus, hope, hoper, huddler, hugger, immune, insured, insured person, interpreter, introvert, Jat, jewel, gem, jumper, junior, killer, slayer, relative, relation, kink, kneeler, knocker, knower, large person, Latin, laugher, learner, scholar, assimilator, left-hander, lefty, southpaw, life, lightning rod, linguist, polyglot, literate, literate person, liver, longer, thirster, yearner, loose cannon, machine, mailer, malcontent, man, manipulator, man jack, married, masturbator, onanist, measurer, nonmember, mesomorph, mestizo, ladino, middlebrow, miracle man, miracle worker, misogamist, mixed-blood, modern, monolingual, mother hen, mouse, mutilator, maimer, mangler, namer, namesake, neglecter, neighbor, neighbour, neutral, nondescript, nonparticipant, nonpartisan, nonpartizan, nonperson, unperson, nonresident, nonsmoker, nude, nude person, nurser, occultist, optimist, orphan, ostrich, ouster, ejector, outcaste, outdoorsman, owner, possessor, pamperer, spoiler, coddler, mollycoddler, pansexual, pardoner, forgiver, excuser, partner, party, passer, personage, personification, perspirer, sweater, philosopher, picker, chooser, selector, pisser, urinator, planner, contriver, deviser, player, posturer, powderer, preserver, propositus, public relations person, pursuer, pussycat, quarter, quitter, radical, realist, rectifier, redhead, redheader, red-header, carrottop, registrant, reliever, allayer, comforter, repeater, rescuer, recoverer, saver, rester, restrainer, controller, revenant, rich person, wealthy person, have, right-hander, right hander, righthander, riser, romper, roundhead, ruler, swayer, rusher, scientist, scratcher, second-rater, mediocrity, seeder, cloud seeder, seeker, searcher, quester, segregate, sentimentalist, romanticist, sex object, sex symbol, shaker, mover and shaker, showman, signer, signatory, simpleton, simple, six-footer, skidder, slider, slipper, slave, sleepyhead, sloucher, small person, smasher, smiler, sneezer, sniffer, sniffler, sniveler, snuffer, snuffler, socializer, socialiser, sort, sounding board, sphinx, spitter, expectorator, sport, sprawler, spurner, squinter, squint-eye, stifler, smotherer, stigmatic, stigmatist, stooper, stranger, struggler, guinea pig, supernumerary, surrenderer, yielder, survivalist, survivor, suspect, tagger, tapper, tempter, termer, terror, scourge, threat, testator, testate, thin person, skin and bones, scrag, third-rater, thrower, tiger, totemist, toucher, transfer, transferee, transsexual, transexual, transvestite, cross-dresser, trier, attempter, essayer, turner, tyrant, undoer, opener, unfastener, untier, vanisher, victim, dupe, Victorian, visionary, visually impaired person, waiter, waker, walk-in, wanter, needer, ward, warrior, watcher, weakling, doormat, wuss, weasel, wiggler, wriggler, squirmer, winker, withholder, witness, worldling, yawner
History
Etymology
From Middle English sum on, sum one, sum oon, equivalent to some + one.
Across languages
Translations
130 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Afrikaans: iemand — some person
- Albanian: dikush — some person
- Arabic: أَحَد (ʔaḥad) — some person
- Armenian: մեկը (mekə) — some person
- Armenian: ինչ-որ մեկը (inčʻ-or mekə) — some person
- Asturian: daquién — some person
- Azerbaijani: kimsə — some person
- Azerbaijani: kim isə — some person
- Belarusian: хто́сьці (xtósʹci) — some person
- Belarusian: хтось (xtosʹ) — some person
- Belarusian: не́хта (njéxta) — some person
- Bengali: কেউ একটা (keu ekṭa) — some person
- Bulgarian: някой (njakoj) — some person
- Catalan: algú — some person
- Catalan: qualcú — some person
- Chamicuro: ana'shanaye — some person
- Chinese Cantonese: 有人 (jau5 jan4) — some person
- Chinese Mandarin: 有人 (yǒurén) — some person
- Chinese Mandarin: 某人 (mǒurén) — some person
- Chinese Mandarin: 誰 /谁 (shéi, shuí) — some person
- Cornish: nebonan — some person
- Czech: někdo — some person
- Danish: nogen — some person
- Danish: en eller anden — some person
- Dutch: iemand — some person
- Esperanto: iu — some person
- Estonian: keegi — some person
- Finnish: joku — some person
- French: quelqu'un — some person
- West-Frisian: immen — some person
- Friulian: ciertun — some person
- Galician: alguén — some person
- German: jemand — some person
- German: einer — some person
- German: epper — some person
- German: ebber — some person
- Greek: κάποιος (kápoios) — some person
- Ancient Greek: τις (tis) — some person
- Hebrew: מִישֶׁהוּ (míshehu) — some person
- Hindi: कोई (koī) — some person
- Hungarian: valaki — some person
- Icelandic: einhver — some person
- Ido: ulu — some person
- Indonesian: seseorang — some person
- Interlingua: alicuno — some person
- Interlingua: alcuno — some person
- Italian: qualcuno — some person
- Japanese: 誰か (dareka) — some person
- Japanese: 或る人 (aru hito) — some person
- Kapampangan: ninuman — some person
- Kapampangan: ninuka — some person
- Kapampangan: ninuya — some person
- Kapampangan: ninula — some person
- Kapampangan: ating tau — some person
- Kazakh: біреу (bıreu) — some person
- Korean: 누군가 (nugun'ga) — some person
- Korean: 어떤 사람 (eotteon saram) — some person
- Central Kurdish: یەکێک (yekêk) — some person
- Central Kurdish: کەسێک (kesêk) — some person
- Latgalian: kaids — some person
- Latin: aliquis — some person
- Latin: aliquid — some person
- Latin: quidam — some person
- Latin: quidam — some person
- Latin: quiddam — some person
- Latin: quaedam — some person
- Latvian: kāds — some person
- Lithuanian: kažkas — some person
- Macedonian: некој (nekoj) — some person
- Malay: seseorang — some person
- Marathi: कोणी (koṇī) — some person
- Marathi: कोणी तरी (koṇī tarī) — some person
- Eastern Mari: кӧ (kö) — some person
- Eastern Mari: ала-кӧ (ala-kö) — some person
- Eastern Mari: иктаж (iktaž) — some person
- Mirandese: alguien — some person
- Norman: tchitch'un — some person
- Norwegian Bokmål: noen — some person
- Norwegian Nynorsk: nokon — some person
- Norwegian Nynorsk: einkvan — some person
- Norwegian Nynorsk: eikor — some person
- Nǀuu: ǂi — some person
- Nǀuu: ǂa — some person
- Occitan: qualqu'un — some person
- Old English: man — some person
- Old English: sum mann — some person
- Old English: hwā — some person
- Old Prussian: aīnunts — some person
- Pennsylvania German: ebber — some person
- Persian: کسی (kasi) — some person
- Persian: یکی (yeki) — some person
- Plautdietsch: wäa — some person
- Polish: ktoś — some person
- Portuguese: alguém — some person
- Romani: varekon — some person
- Romanian: cineva — some person
- Russian: кто́-то (któ-to) — some person
- Russian: кто-нибу́дь (kto-nibúdʹ) — some person
- Russian: не́кто (nékto) — some person
- Russian: кто́-либо (któ-libo) — some person
- Russian: кое-кто́ (koje-któ) — some person
- Scottish Gaelic: cuideigin — some person
- Scottish Gaelic: duin'-eigin — some person
- Scottish Gaelic: feareigin — some person
- Scottish Gaelic: tè-eigin — some person
- Serbo-Croatian: неко — some person
- Serbo-Croatian: нетко — some person
- Serbo-Croatian: neko — some person
- Serbo-Croatian: netko — some person
- Slovak: niekto — some person
- Slovak: dakto — some person
- Slovak: voľakto — some person
- Slovene: nekdó — some person
- Spanish: alguien — some person
- Spanish: alguno — some person
- Swedish: någon — some person
- Tajik: ким-кӣ (kim-ki) — some person
- Talysh: ای نفری (i nafari) — some person
- Telugu: ఎవరో (evarō) — some person
- Thai: บางคน (baang-kon) — some person
- Turkish: biri — some person
- Ukrainian: хтось (xtosʹ) — some person
- Ukrainian: хто-не́будь (xto-nébudʹ) — some person
- Unami: awèn — some person
- Uzbek: kimsa — some person
- Uzbek: birov — some person
- Vietnamese: ai đó — some person
- Volapük: ek — some person
- Welsh: rhywun — some person
- Yiddish: עמעצער (emetser) — some person
Real reading context