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.

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second person British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of second person

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

He was accompanied by a second person, who took flight when officers arrived to arrest the pair.

From Barron's • Mar. 28, 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

Chief technical officer Nick Chester, technical director of Renault F1 from 2013-20 and subsequently the title-winning Mercedes Formula E team, was the second person to sign after Lowdon.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

The form for the second person on the list bore the initials of a member of her staff, who’d helped the man register — at his naturalization ceremony.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2026

“You’re the second person to say that, Annie. I think I’m going to have to come over and have you and your mom fix my pants again.”

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith