someone

someonepronoun

1. a person who is not named or not known, or whose identity does not matter

   Someone is used mainly in positive statements to mean a particular but unnamed person: someone called for you. In questions and negative sentences, anyone is usually used instead: did anyone call?, not did someone call?, unless the speaker has a particular person in mind.

   • Someone left a message for you.
   • I need someone to help me carry this.
   • Someone is knocking at the door.
   • She spoke to someone about the problem.

   Collocations

   phrase someone else

   Synonyms somebody

   Compare anyone (anyone is used mainly in questions and negatives; someone is used mainly in positive statements)

   For translators (sense 1)

   Grammar trap Someone usually shifts to anyone when a sentence becomes a question or a negative (Someone called becomes Did anyone call?), but someone is kept when the speaker has a particular person in mind.

See also anyone