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anyone

Syllabification: (an·y·one)
Pronunciation: /ˈenēˌwən/
Translate anyone | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of anyone

pronoun

  • 1 [usually with negative or in questions] any person or people:there wasn’t anyone there does anyone remember him? I was afraid to tell anyone
  • [without negative] used for emphasis:anyone could do it
  • 2a person of importance or authority:they are read by anyone who’s anyone

Phrases

be anyone's

informal (of a person) be open to sexual advances from anyone:three drinks and he’s anyone’s

anyone's game

an evenly balanced contest:it was still anyone’s game at halftime

anyone's guess

see guess.

Any one is not the same as anyone, and the two forms should not be used interchangeably. Any one, meaning ‘any single (person or thing),’ is written as two words to emphasize singularity: any one of us could do the job; not more than ten new members are chosen in any one year. Otherwise it is written as one word: anyone who wants to come is welcome. Note that this distinction is structurally similar to, although not identical with, the difference between every day and everyday: see everyday (usage).

anyone in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of anyone in the British & World English dictionary
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