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

Author Garrett Graff's new oral history book is a compilation of hundreds of interviews, diaries and documents from the U.S., Europe and Japan, including first-person accounts from some 500 witnesses to the events. —ABC News, 3 Aug. 2025

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game and is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series. —Karoline Leonard, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025

Still, the key to first-person address, as that great Renaissance master Michel de Montaigne understood, is not to subtract complication but to supply it, registering doubt, hesitation, and irony even while developing an argument. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 28 July 2025

In one test, Aeneas analyzed one of the most famous Roman inscriptions: the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, a first-person account by Emperor Augustus. —Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2025

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