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
Reddish was ruled out an hour before tipoff because of a right peroneal strain – irritation or inflammation in the tendons that run along the outside of a person’s ankle and foot.
—
Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 16 Nov. 2024
The last person to pull that off was Navy’s Roger Staubach in 1963.
—Sarah Kelly, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
Police officers were flagged down for a report of a person lying in the street.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
The next day, Owens and Smith negotiated a $250,000 payout to be divided between them and an unidentified person, with Owens and Smith receiving $100,000 each for securing support for the developers’ project, according to the indictment.
—Bracey Harris, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for person 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 16 Nov. 2024
The last person to pull that off was Navy’s Roger Staubach in 1963.
—Sarah Kelly, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
Police officers were flagged down for a report of a person lying in the street.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
The next day, Owens and Smith negotiated a $250,000 payout to be divided between them and an unidentified person, with Owens and Smith receiving $100,000 each for securing support for the developers’ project, according to the indictment.
—Bracey Harris, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for person
Dictionary Entries Near person
Cite this Entry
“Person.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/person. Accessed 24 Nov. 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"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share