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

Generally, in philosophy of mind, consciousness is defined in the broadest sense as subjective experience — the presence of a first-person point of view. —Shelby Hartman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026

Few documentaries have ever provided this kind of first-person access to true, gravity-defying danger — because most documentaries are not co-directed by one of the very people at risk. —Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum features 60,000 artifacts—a mix of physical evidence, first-person testimonies, and historic records—from the September 11, 2001 and February 28, 1993 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 20 Feb. 2026

Slate ran a first-person story last year about experimenting with nicotine to treat brain fog. —Sarah Todd, STAT, 20 Feb. 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