in person

Idioms  

1. Also, in the flesh. In one's physical presence, as in He applied for the job in person, or I couldn't believe it, but there she was, in the flesh. The first expression dates from the mid-1500s. The variant, from the 1300s, was long used to allude to the bodily resurrection of Jesus, but later acquired its looser meaning. Charles Dickens has it in Our Mutual Friend (1865): “The minutes passing on, and no Mrs. W. in the flesh appearing.”

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Example Sentences

By email, Chopra wrote that he was glad that philanthropist Barnaby Marsh had introduced them in person.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

And I knew that was the dumbest thing I could have ever done, because I’ve never met her in person.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

Yet in person, the dealership hardly looks like a sales juggernaut.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Thanks in part to its centralized location, tucked between the offices of SiriusXM and music and sports entertainment company Roc Nation, they say guests are more eager to visit and record in person.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026

In the past, agents had filed reports by phone or telegram, or by briefing a superior in person.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

• candidly
• honestly
• openly
• personally