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

In May 1954 he became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes and later that summer won gold over the same distance at the 1954 Games.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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

He was the wealthiest person ever to hold that office, as well as the first person of color.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

At nine on the nose, the man in the wagon beckons forth the first person, a roustabout.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen