third person

American  

[thurd pur-suhn] / ˈθɜrd ˈpɜr sən /

noun

1. the grammatical person used by the speaker of an utterance in referring to anyone or anything other than the speaker or the one third person singular or ones third person plural being addressed.

2. a pronoun or verb form in the third person, as she or goes in English, or a set of such forms.

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third person British  

noun

1. a grammatical category of pronouns and verbs used when referring to objects or individuals other than the speaker or his addressee(s)

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Etymology

Origin of third person

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

third person

The remains of a third person have been found at the location and are being examined.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Yang: We are experiencing something in an acute way that I think everyone is experiencing, which is we are seeing ourselves in the third person.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

When “Ibra” talks about Ibra—which will happen a lot on America’s TV screens over the coming month—he still refers to himself in the third person.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

The guide alerted the authorities to the incident, who immediately launched a search and rescue operation for the two Singaporeans as well as a missing third person, Indonesian hiker Angel Krishela Pradita.

From BBC ● May 11, 2026

“I thought she was some kind of wounded animal,” said the third person.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo