Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

in personam

adverb or adjective in per·so·nam \ ˌin-pər-ˈsō-ˌnam , -ˌnäm \

Definition of in personam

:against a person for the purpose of imposing a liability or obligation —used especially of legal actions, judgments, or jurisdiction — compare in rem

Explore M-W

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
tycoon
17 English Words that Come From Japanese
alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

Origin and Etymology of in personam

Late Latin, against a person

Law Dictionary

in personam

adverb or adjective in per·so·nam \ ˌin-pər-ˈsō-nəm \

legal Definition of in personam

:against a person for the purpose of imposing a liability or obligation to do or not do something
  • an action in personam
  • an in personam suit
— see also in personam jurisdiction at jurisdiction — compare in rem, quasi in rem

Origin and Etymology of in personam

Latin, against a person

Learn More about in personam

  1. See words that rhyme with in personam

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up in personam? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

adversity

play

serious difficulty or misfortune

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

  • one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
  • Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453
I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game