third person

American  

[thurd pur-suhn] / ˈθɜrd ˈpɜr sən /

noun

1. the grammatical person used by the speaker of an utterance in referring to anyone or anything other than the speaker or the one third person singular or ones third person plural being addressed.

2. a pronoun or verb form in the third person, as she or goes in English, or a set of such forms.

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third person British  

noun

1. a grammatical category of pronouns and verbs used when referring to objects or individuals other than the speaker or his addressee(s)

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Etymology

Origin of third person

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

A third person, a German woman, died May 2, and a British man was medically evacuated on April 27 to South Africa, where he also tested positive for hantavirus.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti interior ministry said it had arrested two people who shared video clips that "mocked" the army, and a third person who used pictures of "banned terrorist organisations' leaders on his profile".

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

The facility struck was a large trailer with walls protected by concrete slabs, but wasn’t fortified from the top, according to a third person briefed on the attack.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

He wanted to know, then, why I was choosing to write about myself in the third person.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein