Someone
/ˈsʌmwʌn/
pronounBeginnerVery CommonGeneral
Meaning
Questions
Definitions
1
An indefinite pronoun referring to an unspecified person.
/ˈsʌmwʌn/
pronounneutralBeginner
General
An unspecified or unknown person.
Someone called while you were out.
💡 Simply: Imagine you see a dropped wallet. You might say, 'Someone must have lost their wallet!' It means you don't know who, but you know a person is involved.
👶 For kids: It means a person, but you don't know who it is!
More Examples
2
I saw someone in the park this morning.
3
Someone has to clean up this mess.
How It's Used
General
"Someone left their keys on the table."
Conversational
"I think someone is at the door."
From Old English sum (some) + mann (man), evolving to refer to an unspecified person.
Used in similar ways throughout history, though the specific wording has slightly evolved.
Memory tip
Think 'some' plus 'one'. It refers to a person, but we don't know who.
Practice
some onesomebody
Usage
80%Spoken
20%Written