person

noun per·son \ ˈpər-sᵊn \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Definition of person

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

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personhood

play \ˈpər-sᵊn-ˌhu̇d\ noun

— in person

: in one's bodily presence

the movie star appeared in person

See person defined for English-language learners

See person defined for kids

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 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 of person from the Web

Ellen was, Annie says in her eulogy, a private person, with private rituals and private friends.

— tom philip, GQ, "Hereditary Review: A Horror That Crawls Into Your Bones," 8 June 2018
Sign up and track your goals online, or do it in person with a paper reading log from any local county branch or bookmobile.

— laura groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Turn up the volumes: Time for summer reading programs," 8 June 2018
No respectable person with any kind of decent palate eats KFC.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "Trump Talks to Vladimir Putin So Much, They’re on a Friends-and-Family Plan," 8 June 2018
Fingerprints, booking photos and more proved Morales and the DUI suspect were not the same person.

— jared gilmour, miamiherald, "‘It wasn’t me:’ Mugshots proved cops had the wrong woman, but she was jailed 49 days, lawsuit says," 8 June 2018
Tickets are $100 per person and are available at powayonstage.org.

— emily sorensen, Pomerado News, "Taste of Our Towne is June 16," 8 June 2018
China will sign off on the deal soon, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

— lingling wei, WSJ, "China’s ZTE to Pay $1 Billion Fine in Settlement With U.S.," 7 June 2018
The person with the most first-place votes isn't necessarily that winner.

— Bloomberg.com, "San Francisco Mayoral Race Still Too Close to Call," 6 June 2018
The residents there, who include one person with autism and four with Down syndrome, are beginning to age.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Michael's House celebrates 40 years serving special-needs residents," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'person.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of person

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

person Synonyms

Phrases

son of man;

PERSON Defined for English Language Learners

person

noun

Definition of person for English Language Learners

: a human being
: a person who likes or enjoys something specified
law : the body or clothing of a person especially when considered as a place to hide things

PERSON Defined for Kids

person

noun per·son \ ˈpər-sᵊn \

Definition of person for Students

1 : a human being considered as an individual

I had never heard a person speak Arabic.

Hint: The word person is sometimes used in compounds especially to avoid man in words that apply to both sexes.

chairperson

2 : the body of a human being

Keep your person neat.

Law Dictionary

person

noun per·son

legal Definition of person

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

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