person

noun

per·​son ˈpər-sᵊn 

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

personhood

ˈpər-sᵊn-ˌhu̇d 

noun

Phrases

in person

: in one's bodily presence

the movie star appeared in person

Synonyms

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

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

Measles virus spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks and another person inhales droplets, Mayo Clinic said. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2025

If selected, Arison would become the 10th person with Heat ties to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining Bob McAdoo (2000), Pat Riley (2008), Gary Payton (2013), Alonzo Mourning (2014), Shaquille O’Neal (2016), Ray Allen (2018), Chris Bosh (2021), Tim Hardaway (2022) and Dwyane Wade (2023). —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2025

Alec Baldwin With 17 hosting gigs under his belt and one Emmy win, Alec Baldwin holds the honor of being the person who’s hosted the most times in SNL history. —Shannon Carlin, TIME, 15 Feb. 2025

The injuries and/or damages complained of in the complaint, if any, were caused solely, directly and proximately by the negligent and/or intentional acts or omissions of person other than answering defendant. —Daniela Avila, People.com, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing person

• a man/woman/person of substance
• a man/woman/person to be reckoned with
• a man/woman/person to reckon with
• business person
• camera person
• cleaning person
• congress person
• first person
• first-person shooter
• in the person of
• little person
• missing person report
• morning person
• night person
• not one person
• on someone's person
• people person
• person-hour
• person of color
• person of interest
• person-to-person
• point person
• second person
• super-person
• the next man/person
• the only (person or thing) for
• the same (thing) goes for (another person)
• third person

Kids 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"

Legal Definition

person

noun

per·​son

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

personhood noun