Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

second person

American  
[sek-uhnd pur-suhn] / ˈsɛk ənd ˈpɜr sən /

noun

  1. the grammatical person used by the speaker of an utterance in referring to the one second person singular or ones second person plural being spoken to.

  2. a pronoun or verb form in the second person, as the pronoun you in English, or a set of such forms.


second person British  

noun

  1. a grammatical category of pronouns and verbs used when referring to or describing the individual or individuals being addressed

"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

Etymology

Origin of second person

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

A second person is chosen by the union and a third person by the district.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 7, 2026

The suspect was accompanied by a second person, who appeared to be taking photos and videos with a mobile phone but who fled when police arrived.

From Barron's Mar. 29, 2026

Given you have such a small tax refund, it does not seem worth it to spend hundreds of dollars every year; if you hire a second person, it will effectively wipe out your tax refund.

From MarketWatch Mar. 27, 2026

The second person who died was a student at the University of Kent.

From BBC Mar. 16, 2026

Bobby also discussed Catholicism with a second person during this time.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com