person

noun per·son \ ˈpər-sᵊn \

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 $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 of person from the Web

The person who yelled, a 21-year-old Brown Deer man, was cited for disorderly conduct.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mequon, Cedarburg, Grafton police reports, Sept. 9, 2017: Electronics stolen from home," 29 Aug. 2017
The insurer drew particular ire from consumers, who filed dozens of comments online after the requests were made and protested in person at public hearings.

— meredith cohn, baltimoresun.com, "Obamacare premium costs in Maryland set to jump as state approves rates," 29 Aug. 2017
A person scorned, harboring ill-will to those who have wronged her, not afraid to go for the throat.

— kenzie bryant, Vanities, "Taylor Swift Is Ready to Come Out of Hiding, But Are We Ready for Her?," 28 Aug. 2017
Those getting the drug had 3.86 of these events per 100 person-years versus 4.50 for those in the placebo group.

— clifton leaf, Fortune, "This Drug Is A Dual Threat Against Heart Disease and Cancer," 28 Aug. 2017
Hollinshead said, but no one has been arrested and no person of interest has been publicly identified.

— kristin rodine, idahostatesman, "New details emerge in killing of 71-year-old Mountain Home woman," 28 Aug. 2017
There was only one person bending the knee in Westeros in the Game of Thrones finale, and his name is Littlefinger.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Game of Thrones: Proof That Everyone Really Loved That Bloody Character Death," 28 Aug. 2017
There will be live bidding both in person at Abell Auction Company (2613 Yates Ave.) and online.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "This Crazy Sneaker Collection Is About to Hit the Auction Block," 28 Aug. 2017
Ridker showed that high levels of inflammation molecules in a person’s blood can help predict a heart attack.

— jennifer couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, "Anti-inflammatory cuts risk of heart attack," 27 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

person Synonyms

Synonyms

baby, being, bird, bod [British], body, character, cookie (or cooky), creature, customer, devil, duck, egg, face, fish, guy, head, human being, individual, life, man, mortal, party, human, personage, scout, slob, sort, soul, specimen, stiff, thing, wight

Related Words

hominid, homo, humanoid; brother, fellow, fellowman, neighbor; celebrity, personality, self, somebody

Near Antonyms

animal, beast, beastie, brute, critter

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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