person of interest

noun phrase

: a person who is believed to be possibly involved in a crime but has not been charged or arrested

Examples of person of interest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Police identified six persons of interest who work in the judiciary department and would have had access to the vault, and one of those people was currently out of the country, Tudravu said during a news conference. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

After a preliminary investigation, detectives identified a potential person of interest tied to an apartment in the building. — Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Authorities have struggled to identify a suspect or person of interest in her disappearance, despite a masked man appearing on Guthrie's Ring doorbell camera. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

In some cases, police have identified persons of interest and collected forensic material, including DNA, blood samples, clothing, cellphones and cellphone records. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for person of interest

• noninterest

Legal Definition

person of interest

: a person who is believed to be possibly involved in a crime but has not been charged or arrested