first person

American  

[furst pur-suhn] / ˈfɜrst ˈpɜr sən /

noun

1. the grammatical person used by a speaker in statements referring to the speaker's own self first person singular or to a group including the speaker first person plural.

2. a pronoun or verb form in the first person, as I or am in English, or a set of such forms.

3. a literary style in which the narrative is told from the perspective of a narrator speaking directly.

   The story is written in the first person.

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first person British  

noun

1. a grammatical category of pronouns and verbs used by the speaker to refer to or talk about himself or herself, either alone ( first person singular ) or together with others ( first person plural )

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Etymology

Origin of first person

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Federal officials noted Kim was the first person detained and returned to the United States from Laos.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026

So let’s assess each of them, beginning with the first person to serve as substitute anchor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026

It alternates between "found footage" segments filmed in first person that resemble his web show, and more classic filmic shots.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

Li said she was inspired by Yang Liwei, the first person sent to space by China's space programme.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

The modern idea of laws of nature is a by-product of Descartes’ philosophy, for Descartes was the first person to treat the laws of nature as being what knowledge of nature was all about.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton