person

noun

per·​son ˈpər-sᵊn 

1

: human, individual

—sometimes used in combination especially by those who prefer to avoid man in compounds applicable to both sexes

chairperson

spokesperson

2

: a character or part in or as if in a play : guise

3

a

: one of the three modes of being in the Trinitarian Godhead as understood by Christians

b

: the unitary personality of Christ that unites the divine and human natures

4

a

archaic : bodily appearance

b

: the body of a human being

also : the body and clothing

unlawful search of the person

5

: the personality of a human being : self

6

: one (such as a human being, a partnership, or a corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties

7

: reference of a segment of discourse to the speaker, to one spoken to, or to one spoken of as indicated by means of certain pronouns or in many languages by verb inflection

personhood

ˈpər-sᵊn-ˌhu̇d 

noun

Phrases

in person

: in one's bodily presence

the movie star appeared in person

Synonyms

• baby
• being
• bird
• bod [British]
• body
• character
• cookie
• cooky
• creature
• customer
• devil
• duck
• egg
• face
• fish
• guy
• head
• human
• human being
• individual
• life
• man
• mortal
• party
• personage
• scout
• slob
• sort
• soul
• specimen
• stiff
• thing
• wight

Examples of person in a Sentence

She is a very nice person.

I saw a person standing on the dock.

Any person who wants a refund must have a receipt.

Most people here are quite friendly.

The tickets are $25 per person.

The person at the front desk will be able to help you.

The tax break is only applicable to persons in a high income bracket.

I like her as a person, but she is not a very good writer.

The disease is easily transmitted from person to person.

The dogs discovered that the men were hiding drugs about their persons.

Recent Examples on the Web

The contract allotted $8.50 per meal for up to three meals daily, totaling $25.50 per person per day. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024

Mark Zuckerberg passed Elon Musk on Friday to become the third-richest person in the world, the first time since 2020 the arch-rival billionaires have held those positions. —Vernal Galpotthawela, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024

This external source could be a magazine, video, person, or other stimuli that makes the female feel aroused. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024

The family contacted officers, expressed concern and reported Brings Plenty as a missing person, the statement said. —Kelly Murray, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024

Under the new forms, a person like Hefny could check the box for MENA, but also could check the box for Black of African American. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024

The move has nothing to do with McAfee, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak about it publicly told The Times, but came about because Williamson did not share ESPN president of content Burke Magnus’ long-term vision for the company’s content strategy. —Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

Izzy Stradlin, who had since stepped away from the spotlight, sent his gratitude and well wishes, but did not appear in person. —Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024

Stefano Bini, a professor at UC San Francisco’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, has been working with sensors that can assess the recovery progress after a person has knee replacement surgery. —Steven Levy, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French persone, from Latin persona actor's mask, character in a play, person, probably from Etruscan phersu mask, from Greek prosōpa, plural of prosōpon face, mask — more at prosopopoeia

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing person

• a man/woman/person of substance
• a man/woman/person to be reckoned with
• a man/woman/person to reckon with
• first person
• in the person of
• first-person shooter
• missing person report
• night person
• the same (thing) goes for (another person)
• the only (person or thing) for
• super-person
• the next man/person
• camera person
• cleaning person
• not one person
• person of color
• second person
• people person
• congress person
• morning person
• person-hour
• little person
• person of interest
• on someone's person
• business person
• person-to-person
• point person
• third person
• in person

Kids Definition

person

noun

per·​son ˈpərs-ᵊn 

1

: human being, individual

—used in combination especially by those who prefer to avoid man in compounds that apply to both sexes

chairperson

2

: a character or part in or as if in a play

3

: the body of a human being

4

: reference to the speaker, to one spoken to, or to one spoken of as indicated especially by means of certain pronouns

Etymology

Middle English person "human being," from early French persone (same meaning), from Latin persona "person, character in a play," originally "an actor's mask"

Legal Definition

person

noun

per·​son

1

: natural person

2

: the body of a human being

also : the body and clothing of a human being

had drugs on his person

3

: one (as a human being or corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties see also juridical person, legal person, personality

personhood noun