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.

---

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)

---

Etymology

Origin of third person

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

“From the very, very beginning, Chad Bianco didn’t say this was political,” Bianco said, referring to himself in the third person.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

A review by American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Roger Pielke Jr. noticed that one of those earlier publications was co-authored with a third person who wasn’t named as an author in the climate chapter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Two others were airlifted to hospitals in Stoke and Aintree with serious injuries, while a third person was taken by ambulance to Aintree.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

The third person refers to an aide who allegedly crafted pro-Qatar messages that the other two assistants then disseminated.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

We will, however, leave this Buddy Glass in the third person from here on in.

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger