TKG English Learner's Dictionary

nobody

nobodypronoun

American /ˈnoʊˌbɑd.i/ British /ˈnəʊ.bə.di/ American English gives light stress to bod, NOH-bah-dee; British English weakens it, NOH-buh-dee.
very commondefining vocabulary

  1. no person; not a single person

    Nobody is used in a positive sentence and already carries a negative meaning, so the verb after it stays positive: nobody knows, not nobody doesn't know. It takes a singular verb even though it excludes everyone: nobody is home.

    Collocations

    phrase nobody else, absolutely nobody

    Synonyms no one

    Antonyms everybody

    Compare anybody (anybody is used mainly in questions and negatives; nobody already carries the negative meaning)

    For translators (sense 1)

    Grammar trap Many languages join two negative ideas with two separate negative words; English marks the negative once, in nobody, and keeps the verb after it positive.

Word family

Usage

Nobody and no one mean the same thing and can normally replace each other.

Common mistakes

Nobody didn't come to the party. Nobody came to the party.
Nobody is already negative; adding didn't creates a double negative that is not standard English.
Nobody don't know the answer. Nobody knows the answer.
Nobody takes a singular, positive verb (knows), not a plural or negative one.

See also anybody; no one (the two-word form, used the same way)