Person
'pɜːrsən
Definitions
3 meaningsA human being regarded as an individual.
'pɜːrsən
A human being
Each person in the room had a unique perspective.
💡 Simply: Imagine a regular human! Someone who can think, feel, and do things, like you and me. Think of it as referring to an individual.
👶 For kids: A person is a human! Like you, me, your mom, and your dog walker.
More Examples
The police are looking for a missing person.
She's a caring and compassionate person.
How It's Used
"Every person deserves respect."
"She's a very kind person."
The body of a human being.
'pɜːrsən
The physical body of a human
The police were searching for the person matching the description.
💡 Simply: When talking about someone's body or presence, or in the context of searching for someone.
👶 For kids: Sometimes a person means the body of a human.
More Examples
The person in question was never identified.
The person was carrying a large package.
How It's Used
"The person was detained for questioning."
A grammatical category used to distinguish between the speaker (first person), the addressee (second person), and anything or anyone else being discussed (third person).
'pɜːrsən
Grammatical - referring to pronouns
He/She/They are examples of the third person.
💡 Simply: In grammar, it is referring to pronouns used to identify and describe something.
👶 For kids: We use person in grammar to say who is talking!
More Examples
In this sentence, 'you' is the second person.
The essay was written in the first person, using 'I'.
How It's Used
"The sentence is written in the third person."
Synonyms
Being
Human
Individual
Body
Figure
Grammar
Perspective
Idioms & expressions
in person
Physically present; not by phone, email, etc.
"I prefer to meet people in person rather than just on video calls."
a man/woman of the people
A person who is seen as representing the interests of ordinary people.
"The politician was seen as a man of the people."
From Old French 'persone', from Latin 'persona' meaning 'mask', likely referring to a theatrical mask used by actors, and later evolved to represent an individual.
Historically, 'person' was closely tied to concepts of character and social roles, evolving from representing individuals to broader notions of human identity and legal status.
Memory tip
Think of a 'personal' identity – a person is an individual.