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
Synonyms
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
Sadly, because of his past problems, the only person who believes Jared’s stories about Mulgarath and the field guide is his great-aunt Lucinda (Charlayne Woodard).
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Police are still looking for the person or people who pulled the trigger, Colome said.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Unless the person is severely traumatized and showing serious symptoms, then people will not really . . .
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Swift referenced her feud with Kardashian in her Time person of the year interview.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Each visit is anonymous, but users can elect to share their questions with WHO in a survey to improve the experience, though Guerra said any data collected is randomized and not tied to an IP address or person to protect users.
—Jessica Nix, Fortune Europe, 19 Apr. 2024
Ye is reportedly under investigation by the police after he was allegedly named by a victim as the person who assaulted him in West Hollywood.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The legend of Illmatic was built from street corner to street corner, person to person, party to party.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
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
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Police are still looking for the person or people who pulled the trigger, Colome said.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2024
Unless the person is severely traumatized and showing serious symptoms, then people will not really . . .
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Swift referenced her feud with Kardashian in her Time person of the year interview.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Each visit is anonymous, but users can elect to share their questions with WHO in a survey to improve the experience, though Guerra said any data collected is randomized and not tied to an IP address or person to protect users.
—Jessica Nix, Fortune Europe, 19 Apr. 2024
Ye is reportedly under investigation by the police after he was allegedly named by a victim as the person who assaulted him in West Hollywood.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
The legend of Illmatic was built from street corner to street corner, person to person, party to party.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
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
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'person.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near person
Cite this Entry
“Person.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/person. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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"
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