first person

American  

[furst pur-suhn] / ˈfɜrst ˈpɜr sən /

noun

1. the grammatical person used by a speaker in statements referring to the speaker's own self first person singular or to a group including the speaker first person plural.

2. a pronoun or verb form in the first person, as I or am in English, or a set of such forms.

3. a literary style in which the narrative is told from the perspective of a narrator speaking directly.

   The story is written in the first person.

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first person British  

noun

1. a grammatical category of pronouns and verbs used by the speaker to refer to or talk about himself or herself, either alone ( first person singular ) or together with others ( first person plural )

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Etymology

Origin of first person

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first person

Appointed to finish the term of her brother Lindsey Graham, who died this month at 71, Darline is the first person to directly succeed a sibling in the Senate’s 237-year history.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

In May 1954 he became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes and later that summer won gold over the same distance at the 1954 Games.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

I was the first person in the economy cabin and had my pick of overhead bins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

It’s told in the first person through Hatcher’s compelling voice as she narrates the horror and heartbreak of her lifetime over the course of a century, echoing William Faulkner’s literary style, which influenced Sarris.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

The first person we met was my little brother, Charlie, and the first thing he said was “If you’re looking for Howard, the Herdmans have got him.”

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson