Dictionary anybody

pronoun

anybody

Any person, without specifying who.

Does anybody know where we left the spare keys yesterday?

Etymology

anyEnglishone or another, unrestricted

+bodyEnglishperson

Body can stand for a whole person. Combined with any, it creates an unrestricted reference to a person without identifying who that person is.

More examples

Anybody can join the free neighborhood walk.
I did not see anybody in the courtyard.
Ask anybody who attended the meeting.

Similar words

anyone: An interchangeable pronoun, sometimes slightly more formal.
someone: Suggests an unspecified person rather than an unrestricted choice.