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person

person

4.6
The role that shows who speaks, who is spoken to, or who is spoken about
  • noun
  • /ˈpɜrsən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : persona
  • It's important to still spend that time with that person even if no words are exchanged.
  • first person
  • third person
  • second person

Not a third person, as NBC's own Meet the Press had earlier reported.

Examples

  • Still, it was fun to be a different person for an afternoon.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • But next time, why don't you just text me like a normal person?

  • The right care by the right person at the right time in the right environment.

    Academic text (2011)
  • If you see that one person did not pull his or her weight, share that also.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I knew your mother of course, wonderful person.

  • Because I'm the person that hired them, right?

  • I know that you're a very kind person and would wanna help me.

  • You're the best person I know.

  • And I realized about myself that I am not the person who wants to be the richest man in the world.

  • The teacher emphasized that a good person should always strive to help others.

Idioms

271 1.6

To be present at a place rather than by phone or online

Like most people do

Express real happiness that a very nice person got something they deserve

To the same degree as anyone else

Compounds

777 1.0

A child or teenager who is not yet an adult

175 1.0

A person who is much older than most adults

135 1.6

The pronoun and verb form a speaker uses to talk about themselves like I and we

131 1.2

A person with dark skin whose family comes from Africa

bad person
  • Offensive
104 1.6

A person who harms others on purpose or does wrong things

99 1.0

A person who is no longer alive

A person who has no home and often lives on the streets

75 5.9

A very short adult often because of a medical condition called dwarfism

58 3.3

A thing that only one person can use

55 1.0

A person who is ill

50 1.0

A person many people know because of their achievements

A person whose actions or words change what happens for many people

A person who does manual or factory work for pay, not a manager

A person who strongly believes in a faith and follows its ways

third person
  • Specialized
34 2.9

Words that talk about people or things besides the speaker and the listener

stupid person
  • Offensive
30 1.1

A person who is not very smart and often makes bad choices

A person who has a lot of money and property

A person who has a husband or wife

19 1.5

A person who cannot see or can see very little

16 4.0

A person with light skin whose family comes from Europe

16 3.7

A person who likes meeting and talking with other people

A person who is attracted to people of the opposite sex

A person with great power or status who gets special treatment

A person whose actions or ideas strongly affect other people's choices

A person who thinks of new ideas and finds new ways to do things

A person who feels most energetic and awake early in the day

Two people meet and talk directly, without other people or devices

11 2.8

A person who cannot hear most sounds

11 5.6

A person without a home who sleeps outdoors or in public places

A person forced to leave their home or country because it is not safe

8 1.0

A person who has very little money and few things

7 3.4

A person who has a physical, mental, or social difficulty that limits daily activities

6 1.0

A person who has a lot of money and many valuable things

6 4.1

A person who is not white, often used when talking about race

second person
  • Specialized
6 3.0

Words that refer to the person or people you speak to, for example 'you'

A person with special training who works in jobs like a lawyer, doctor or engineer

5 1.8

A person who is shorter than most people and has a light build

pod person
  • Offensive
4 9.9

A person who seems to have no feelings or personality and appears distant from others

point person
  • Jargon
4 7.1

A soldier who goes at the front of a group to look for danger

4 2.5

A person who feels nervous around others and avoids social situations

4 4.1

A person who likes to be awake and active at night

4 2.1

A person who has very little body fat and looks underweight

A person who has strong feelings easily and often

A person who has stopped working because of age or health

3 2.1

A person who is dead

A person who does not have the skills or ability to do a task well

A person who has bad luck or problems

uneducated person
  • Offensive
3 3.0

A person who has little or no schooling

Someone who manages how an organization looks to the public and talks to the media

A person who works for themselves and has no employer

1 9.9

An old offensive term in the United States for Black people

A person who has no title and is an ordinary member of society

A person with unusual habits or behavior

A person who is sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex

A person who is attracted to both men and women

A person who can read and write

A person who cannot read or write

A person a policy covers who can get money for losses

1 3.8

A person who is not wearing any clothes

1 8.9

A person from an early stage of human society now seen as outdated and offensive

1 1.0

A person who is bigger than most people

1 4.4

A person who knows a lot about a subject from study

1 4.5

A person people respect for being very religious and thought to help others with prayer

psychotic person
  • Specialized
1 8.9

A person who loses touch with reality and may see or hear things that are not real

A person who has little or no sight

1 1.0

A person with light yellow or pale gold hair

A person who moves awkwardly and often drops or breaks things

A person who cannot tell some colors apart

An old insulting phrase for a person who cannot hear or speak

A person who is sick and needs medical care

A person who other people do not respect because they behave badly

A person from England

A member of the armed forces who is not an officer

Surface Forms

person singular
people plural

Etymology

The word person in grammar comes from the Latin persona, a 'mask' or 'role' an actor played. So grammar uses person to mean the role someone has in a sentence: 'first' is the speaker, 'second' is the one spoken to, and 'third' is someone else.