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

See Examples For:

first person

Appointed to finish the term of her brother Lindsey Graham, who died this month at 71, Darline is the first person to directly succeed a sibling in the Senate’s 237-year history.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

I was the first person in the economy cabin and had my pick of overhead bins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The mother of five died less than 24 hours after undergoing the treatment, becoming the first person in the UK known to have died following a non-surgical BBL procedure.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

It’s told in the first person through Hatcher’s compelling voice as she narrates the horror and heartbreak of her lifetime over the course of a century, echoing William Faulkner’s literary style, which influenced Sarris.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

“You’re not the first person to say that, though. We’ve been here forever, but like you, we’re still trying to be seen.”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith