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
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
Still, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that about 34 people a day in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 42 minutes.
—
Josh Max, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
And while a normal person will just digest that and process it, an allergic person actually sees this as a foreign threat.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
During these times, a person’s coping mechanisms may stop working.
—Daliah Singer, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2025
The group advises the person to contact the local police department because the police will try to find the owner and if necessary, break the car window.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for person
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Josh Max, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
And while a normal person will just digest that and process it, an allergic person actually sees this as a foreign threat.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
During these times, a person’s coping mechanisms may stop working.
—Daliah Singer, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2025
The group advises the person to contact the local police department because the police will try to find the owner and if necessary, break the car window.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Freep.com, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for person
Cite this Entry
“Person.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/person. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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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