first person

[ furst-pur-suhn ]

/ ˈfɜrst ˈpɜr sən /

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noun

the grammatical person used by a speaker in statements referring to himself or herself (first person singular ) or to a group including himself or herself (first person plural ).

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

a literary style in which the narrative is told from the perspective of a narrator speaking directly about himself or herself: a story written in the first person.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of first person

First recorded in 1935–40

Words nearby first person

first officer, first-order, first papers, first-past-the-post, First Peoples, first person, first-person shooter, First Point of Aries, first position, first post, first principle

How to use first person in a sentence

Fluoride first entered an American water supply through a rather inelegant technocratic scheme.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In the first episode, an officer is shown video of himself shooting and killing a man.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But since those rosy scenarios were first floated, the California political scene has grown more crowded.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Eric Garcetti succeeded Villaraigosa and has received high marks in his first year and a half on the job.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

He sees himself as the first Muslim president of all Europe.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is the first and principal point at which we can stanch the wastage of teaching energy that now goes on.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
He was converted and baptized, and was the first Hebrew instructor at Harvard college.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
And I have not had the first morsel of food prepared from this grain offered me since I reached the shores of Europe.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Now first we shall want our pupil to understand, speak, read and write the mother tongue well.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
In treble, second and fourth, the first change is a dodge behind; and the second time the treble leads, there's a double Bob.
Tintinnalogia, or, the Art of Ringing|Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman

British Dictionary definitions for first person

first person

noun

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)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012