first-person

1 of 2

adjective

first-per·​son ˈfərs(t)-ˈpər-sᵊn 

variants or less commonly first person

1

: of, relating to, or occurring in the first person

a first-person narrative

a first-person verb form

2

: experienced as if through the eyes of an avatar (as in a video game)

As 3-D first-person games evolved, … visual verisimilitude improved …

—Ian Bogost

When playing as the lead guitarist in first person mode players will see fans react to how they play.

—Sean Michael

see also first-person shooter

first person

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a set of linguistic forms (such as verb forms, pronouns, and inflectional affixes) referring to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which they occur

b

: a linguistic form belonging to such a set

c

: reference of a linguistic form to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which it occurs

2

: a style of discourse marked by general use of verbs and pronouns of the first person

Examples of first-person in a Sentence

Noun

She always wrote in the first person.

The sentence “I was born in Maine” is written in the first person.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Activision’s blockbuster first-person shooter will finally make its way to the box office’s frontlines with a promising pedigree and a prime summer release date. — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026

The games are known for the exhilaration of the first-person shootouts, organic open-world playgrounds, unique stories, and memorable antagonists. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 July 2026

Modern battlefields are witnessing an explosion in the use of small reconnaissance drones, loitering munitions, and first-person-view (FPV) attack drones. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Beni is being designed with a lot more features in mind, including support for accessories to be snapped on, remote control with a SIM card, and the ability to be driven around using a gamepad and first-person view glasses. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

first person

noun

1

: a set of words or forms (as pronouns or verb forms) referring to the person speaking or writing them

2

: a writing style making use of pronouns and verbs of the first person

first person narration