first-person

1 of 2

adjective

first-per·​son ˈfərs(t)-ˈpər-sᵊn 

variants or less commonly first person

1

: of, relating to, or occurring in the first person

a first-person narrative

a first-person verb form

2

: experienced as if through the eyes of an avatar (as in a video game)

As 3-D first-person games evolved, … visual verisimilitude improved …

—Ian Bogost

When playing as the lead guitarist in first person mode players will see fans react to how they play.

—Sean Michael

see also first-person shooter

first person

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a set of linguistic forms (such as verb forms, pronouns, and inflectional affixes) referring to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which they occur

b

: a linguistic form belonging to such a set

c

: reference of a linguistic form to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which it occurs

2

: a style of discourse marked by general use of verbs and pronouns of the first person

Examples of first-person in a Sentence

Noun

She always wrote in the first person.

The sentence “I was born in Maine” is written in the first person.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

There’s been so much conversation about the uniqueness of the first-person perspective of the film. —Essence, 17 Dec. 2024

The first-person title developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks is a spectacular achievement that perfectly blends narrative storytelling with player interactivity. —Josh Weiss, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Fans were divided after developers revealed the game would forgo the standard adventure-gaming perspective of third-person for first-person. —Ryan Benk, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024

Set on a frozen, post-apocalyptic Canadian island, TLD is a first-person survival game from Hinterland Studios in the ultimate man vs. nature challenge. —Jason Bennett, arkansasonline.com, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

first person

noun

1

: a set of words or forms (as pronouns or verb forms) referring to the person speaking or writing them

2

: a writing style making use of pronouns and verbs of the first person

first person narration