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

In the earliest version of this first-person shooter game, players kill off civilian Iraqis standing between the shooter and Saddam Hussein. —Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 28 Mar. 2025

Despite a few seasonal bumps and the occasional messy balance patch, there's nothing like Bungie's online sci-fi first-person shooter out there at the moment. —Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 20 Mar. 2025

That includes voicework, possibly a script, and certainly the video footage shown: Almost everything after the first-person intro has the trademark smoothness of AI video and something just feels…off about almost every scene. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Told in first-person narrative with archival photos, the 225-page coffee-table book covers the family’s many setbacks and triumphs dating back to the early 1890s, when Jessop’s great-grandparents arrived in San Diego via steamship, rail and horsedrawn buggy. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025

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