personper‧son /ˈpɜːsən $ ˈpɜːr-/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 
He was a very nice person, always pleasant and friendly. The only person who really said anything helpful was Jack.kind/type/sort of person David was not the sort of person who found it easy to talk about his feelings. I like her as a person, but not as a boss. I still know quite a lot of people in the village. a group of young peoplecity/cat/night etc person (=someone who likes a particular kind of thing) I’m not a morning person.2in person if you do something in person, you go somewhere and do it yourself, instead of doing something by letter, asking someone else to do it etc: You have to sign for it in person.3businessperson/salesperson etc someone who works in business, who sells things etc → chairperson, spokesperson4 (plural persons) formal or law someone who is not known or not named: The police are appealing for any person who was in the area at this time to contact them. murder by person or persons unknown All 115 persons on board were killed.5on/about your person formal if you have something on or about your person, you have it in your pockets or attached to you: Customs officers found a gun concealed about his person.6in the person of somebody formal used before the name of someone who you have just mentioned in a more general way: I was met by the police in the person of Sergeant Black. → first person, missing person, person-to-person, second person, third personUSAGE: People, persons• The plural of person is usually people: · There are 25 people in the class. ✗Don't say: There are 25 persons in the class.• The plural persons is used in official English, for example in official notices, documents, or statements: · All persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States.· The maximum number of persons in each group is 14.
WORD ORIGINperson
Origin:
1100-1200 Old French persone, from Latin persona ‘actor's mask, character in a play, person’, probably from Etruscan phersu ‘mask’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He's the only person I know who can speak Chinese.
- I think Sue's a really nice person.
- If you're asking me about Latin, you're asking the wrong person.
- Kevin's not an easy person to get to know.
- Police are looking for the person or persons responsible for the fire.
- The person who finishes first gets a special prize.
- The club does not allow any person under the age of 21 to enter.
- A person can be amazingly happy on the Great Plains.
- About 70 percent of those elderly persons living with younger people are severely disabled.
- Forms of particulars of claim are supplied by the court office to parties in person.
- I look forward to meeting the person who has mastered this strangeness.
- In practice if not always in law, a married couple became one person, that person being the husband.
- It would have to be an evil-beneath-the-surface person who seems to be trustworthy.
- Power does not necessarily make a person happy.
- The rate varies according to the experience of the person dealing with the work.
Longman Language Activatora person
· I think Sue's a really nice person.· He's the only person I know who can speak Chinese.· There were over 200 people at the meeting.· The streets were suddenly full of people.
a person - use this when you do not know who the person is, or when it is not important to say who it is: · Someone phoned you but I didn't get their name.· What would you do if somebody tried to rob you in the street?someone else/somebody else (=another person): · Can't you get someone else to clean the kitchen for you?
a person - use this when you are comparing people with animals or machines: · The drug had never before been tested on a human being.· Computers have replaced humans in many factories.
a person - use this especially when you are talking about responsibility or choice: · It is the responsibility of each individual within the class to make sure they have the correct books.· The decision to have an operation should be up to the individual involved.
a person who seems strange, interesting etc: · A couple of suspicious-looking characters were standing outside the house.· Beneath his brash, noisy exterior was a much shrewder and lonelier character than he admitted.
people in general people in general: · People are getting very worried about rising crime.· I don't want people to feel sorry for me.most/some people: · Most people hate writing essays, but I quite like it.
all people - use this to make general statements about how people behave, what people like etc: · Don't you like ice-cream? I thought everyone liked it!· Everybody has the right to a good education.· Everyone knows that smoking is bad for you.
American spoken people: · Folks around here have been pretty angry about the governor's actions.most/some folks: · Some folks think the schools are better now than they were twenty years ago.
all the people in the world, considered as one group: · Pollution is threatening the future of the human race.the entire/whole human race: · The entire human race could be wiped out by nuclear war.a member of the human race: · Until then, no member of the human race had ever been able to make a map of the whole world.
people in general - used especially when talking about their history and development, or how something affects their continued existence: · The Americans exploded the first nuclear weapon in the history of mankind.· Travelling into space was a great advance for mankind.· In the interests of humankind we must stop destroying our planet.
people in general - use this when you are comparing humans with other living things. Some people do not use this word because it can seem offensive to women: · Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited city known to man.· The grandeur of the mountains is a constant reminder of man's insignificance.· The Dutch reclamation of their land is a classic case of man's struggle against nature.
people in general - use this especially when you are talking about people's rights to be treated like all other humans and not suffer cruelty, hunger etc: · 30% of humanity live in conditions of terrible poverty.a crime against humanity: · The General was accused of committing crimes against humanity.
ordinary people who do not belong to the government, the police etc, and do not have any special rights: · The castle is open to the public during the summer.· The public ought to know how the money from taxes is being spent.a member of the public: · Some of these politicians never meet ordinary members of the public.the general public: · Tickets will become available to the general public in June.
people in general - use this to talk about people as an organized group with a system of laws and accepted behaviour: · Islamic society· The judge described Smith as 'a danger to society'.member of society: · We want our students to become useful and responsible members of society.
: young/old/rich/country/city etc folk people of a particular type or from a particular area, considered together as a group: · The young folk need to have a place where they can go in the evenings.· Stella's ambition is to get a job working with old folk.· His parents were hard-working country folk.
use this about conditions, problems, and changes that affect all the people in society: · Rising unemployment led to even more social problems.· social changes that brought women even greater freedom
all the people in a particular area, city, country etc all the people who live in a town or country - use this when saying how many people live there, or giving some facts about them: the population of Tokyo/Greece etc: · In 1966 the population of Lima was about two million.a population of five million/twenty million etc: · New Jersey has a population of around 7.6 million.the black/Catholic/male population (=all the black people, Catholic people etc in a place): · 30% of the male population suffers from heart disease.the general population (=people in general compared with a particular group): · In our study, significantly more miners complained of weight loss than the general population.
all the people who live in a particular place: the British/Korean/Nigerian etc people: · Reagan's views were shared by a majority of the American people.the people of Paris/China etc: · the awful sufferings of the people of Sarajevo
all the people who live in France, Germany etc - use this when describing them in a general way or as a political force: · The French are famous for their love of good food.· The Chinese are trying to industrialize without changing the essential nature of their society.
a group of people who live in the same area, especially when they all belong to the same religious group or race: · The murder has shocked the local community.the Jewish/Muslim/Greek etc community: · New York's Jewish community
people who live in London, New York, Paris etc: · For most New Yorkers, life will never be the same again.· The Milanese (=people from Milan) elected a new mayor yesterday.
a person in a story a person in a story in a book, film, or play: · It was a wonderful story -- the characters were so convincing.the main/central character: · The interesting thing about the play is the conflict between the two main characters.
the man or boy who is the main character in a book, play, film etc, who people admire because he is good, strong, brave, honest etc: hero of: · Indiana Jones is the hero of the film.tragic hero (=a hero who suffers a lot): · Hamlet is Shakespeare's most famous tragic hero.
the woman or girl who is the main character in a book, play, film etc, who people admire because she is good, strong, brave, honest etc: heroine of: · The heroine of her latest novel is a middle-class English woman.
relating to people, not animals or machines use this about people's abilities, character, or behaviour, when you are comparing people with animals or machines: · the effects of pollution on the human and animal population· Bacteria cannot be seen with the human eye.
for each person: $500/2 pieces etc per person $500, two pieces etc for each person: · There were only two pieces of bread per person.· You can get a decent meal for less than £20 per person.
: $10/£5 etc a head use this to say how much something costs for each person: · We paid £5 a head for our Christmas dinner.· Guests were paying $800 a head for luxury hotel accommodation.
if something costs a particular amount, or someone uses a particular amount etc per capita , that is how much each person pays, uses etc - used especially in business, politics, or economics: · Among the largest consumers of energy per capita is the United States.per capita income/expenditure/consumption etc: · The average per capita income has decreased over the past five years.· In Europe the per capita supply of trained medical staff has increased dramatically.
no people no person or people: · No-one was home, so I left a note.· He explained what had happened but nobody believed him.no one at all/nobody at all: · Nobody had supported him, nobody at all.
no one - use this when it is unusual or surprising that there is no one somewhere: · It was strange. There wasn't a soul in the street.not a soul to be seen/not a soul in sight: · Steve looked in every room, but there was no sound and not a soul to be seen.
when you do something yourself if you do something yourself , no-one else does it for you: · I made these curtains myself.· Why can't your boyfriend cook lunch himself?· "Could you pass me that book?" "Get it yourself!"
if an important person does something personally , they do it, although you would normally expect someone else to do it for them: · The President wrote to us personally to thank us for our hard work.· The Commander in Chief visited the island personally, and took steps toward strengthening the defense facilities and fortification.
if you do something in person , you do it by going somewhere yourself, rather than by asking someone else to do it: · My letters were all returned to me, so I decided to go around to her house in person.· The prince was renowned for his bravery, and chose to lead his troops in person.
if you deliver a letter, parcel etc by hand , you deliver it yourself instead of posting it: · The letter had been delivered by hand, and was addressed to Mrs Zippie Isaacs.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY David was not the sort of person who found it easy to talk about his feelings. I like her as a person, but not as a boss. murder by person or persons unknownCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Anna was the last person to see him alive. The message came from no less a person than the prime minister. We are determined to bring the people responsible to justice.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
David was not the sort of person who found it easy to talk about his feelings. I like her as a person, but not as a boss. (=someone who likes a particular kind of thing) I’m not a morning person.
I’m not a morning person. murder by person or persons unknown· There’s a one-day course that costs £80 per person.
(=a very unsuitable time, place, person etc) This is hardly the place to discuss the matter.
This is hardly the place to discuss the matter. Anna was the last person to see him alive. The message came from no less a person than the prime minister. We are determined to bring the people responsible to justice.· Frequently a crisis is precipitated by some sudden change in health or behaviour, of the elderly person or a carer.· Recurrent pale loss of consciousness in an elderly person suggests this diagnosis.· Medicare is a federally administered program of health benefits for elderly and disabled persons.· This can sometimes be sensed in elderly persons who are approaching the end.· About 70 percent of those elderly persons living with younger people are severely disabled.· There are three main reasons for taking care of an elderly person.· In many cases this care can continue with adjustments in the amount of support until the elderly person dies.
· No older person should ever ask you to keep a kiss, hug or touch, secret.· The oldest person to get a license is 92; the youngest was 22.· Defining abuse can allow the relative power of the carer to take precedence over the plight of the older person.· You may prefer to ask an older person to do this for you. 8 Place the baking tray into the oven.· There, he would be another old person elbowed and nudged by the hordes in their restive wildebeest migration in search of gratification.· These are part of the agenda for any discussion and the old person needs reassurance that such experience is recognised as important.· Furthermore, the fact that the old person is alone, especially at night, is a constant source of anxiety.· At 88 years of age, Andrew Rome was again the oldest person present.
· Eliot was a lonely man, and Hayward was the only single person he knew with whom he could share a flat.· Because you were the only person capable of doing it?· She wanted to come across as the only significant person in Jett's life.· And you are the only person apart from Pepe who knows my secret.· The only person to flash the sustained F7c was Lancashire's Ian Vicers - not bad for a sprog of only 17.· The organisers hope the recipient will be the only person that doesn't remember the Wiltshire Festival.· Do you know, sometimes I feel that the only person he really cares for on this earth is the Begum.
· Most companies, but not all, extend the cover to a spouse or other named person with a good driving record.· Provision needed to be made for dowager widows, and for younger sons and for daughters, and perhaps for other persons.· Remain aloof and don't touch the other person.· The other person was a man who could actually speak for hours about his reading, which was extensive.· Some of us are reserved good listeners who see our prime function in conversation as encouraging the other person.· She desired that the legacy should not be in any way altered by the pope nor any other person.· The initial three-year sentences on two others was confirmed while the other person was freed.· I had imagined that friendship meant giving up privacy, and closeness meant complete submersion in the other person.
· An officer who deals with adults every day is not the right person to deal with teenagers.· He found just the right person for his newly created slot of research associate.· And I know I haven't yet met the right person.· Are you the right person for this position?· Send them to the right person at the right address for payment and include the following information: 1.· Your whole business might ride on finding the right person.· Advertisements for Harvard dealers pointed out demurely that remuneration was no obstacle for the right person.· Either way, the problem is to find the right person to advise you, some one who can be objective.
· The figures are costed for a single person.· It was more subtle than the other outcomes, turning on no single moment, person, or place.· It produces five billion food packets every year; that's one for every single person on earth.· Friedman argued that no single person, even a Nobel laureate, could make a pencil.· I did not see a single person in Bill, Wyoming.· Therefore, 75 percent. of the tax is payable if a single person lives there.· Almost at once he experienced what most religious innovators of his type suffered: not a single person joined his worldwide movement.
· The younger a person is when he or she starts smoking, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer.· They require a substantial commitment on the part of a young person.· How can a child or young person immediately grieve for some one who denies their existence in that way?· It was an extraordinary time for a young person like Alvin, black and a dancer, to arrive in New York.· But it failed to discuss how consent should be interpreted where children, young persons and the mentally backward are concerned.· All subjects included in the study were healthy young persons without any symptoms related to the oesophagus.· Is it morally right to sentence a young person to a period in custody?
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► businessperson/salesperson etcPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► the first person► somebody’s kind of person/thing/place etc► the third person
- A clear leader emerged in the person of Miyazawa.
- A real politician, in the person of Norman Tebbit, was the only chosen to fight the election.
- A witness did appear in the person of tow-truck driver Mark Turpin.
- Another introduction to politics was provided for me in the person of Randolph Churchill.
- Death, in the person of the Prophet.
- Dissent in the county none the less survived powerfully through the eighteenth century in the persons of Phillip Doddridge and his followers.
- Medical help was summoned in the person of the family doctor, Doctor Stanfield.
- York and Durham, perhaps even in the persons of Aethelric and Cynsige, with the armed power of the church.
- My letters were all returned to me, so I decided to go around to her house in person.
- The prince was renowned for his bravery, and chose to lead his troops in person.
- You can apply for a visa by mail, but it's quicker if you go to the embassy in person.
- At the time he died he was carrying the bomb on his person.
- Away to the police surgeon to be probed for invisible cells hidden about her person.
- Don't worry, he's not about to escape with film concealed about his person.
- Her long blonde hair tumbled artistically about her person.
- His favourite weapons are a.357 Desert Eagle, which he always carries on his person, and a Franchi Spas shotgun.
- I distributed them properly about my person, and put on my hat.
- We healed them with our doctor's hands and placed them about our person.
- Chad's the last person I would ask for advice.
- The last thing we wanted was to go into debt.
- And you were the last person to see her.
- He was the last person a nerve-racked trader wanted to see.
- I already had two children, and the last thing I wanted was a third.
- I know you had a terrible time and the last thing I meant to do was to upset you.
- Kris Johnson will be the last person to wear Marques' No. 54.
- So the last thing I want to do is watch somebody else do it.
- You know, in your heart, it is the last thing that charlatan wants.
- After a while, everybody will have the technology to make a movie look as cool as the next person.
- All you need to know about Flaubert to know as much as the next person!
- Now Glover himself was as female as the next man, keeping an eagle eye on boys.
- She figured the guys could see for themselves then that he could be as vulnerable as the next man.
- A mature spinster, a professional woman, might.
- About 80 percent of its clients are business and professional women.
- As far as childcare is concerned, professional women have to rely on paid care.
- Glossy, high-powered soap opera about four black professional women helping one another through a bad year in Phoenix.
- Of those executive and professional women who did marry, most chose not to have children or deferred them until very late.
- The result is that the practical definition of obscenity has been decided by middle-aged-to-elderly professional men.
- There may be a willing volunteer or a professional person specially appointed, but this may not be easy to find.
- These are very well-educated professional women in Fog Bank who felt insecure about investing.
- She was no respecter of persons and never thought before she spoke.
- Unfortunately they are no respecters of persons or property as car owners find to their dismay.
- Dalziel was well known, hailing and being hailed by nearly every second person they passed, it seemed to Pascoe.
- He says there's no such thing as a citizens arrest.
- Raymond runs the exclusive Manoir aux Quat Saisons in Wheatley, where there's no such thing as a free lunch.
- To the professionals who work with troubled couples, however, there's no such thing as the wronged spouse.
- Better rewrite it in the third person.
- He writes of himself in the third person.
- Hint: He often refers to himself in the third person.
- I was angry to hear Steve talk about me in the third person.
- She speaks of herself not only in the third person, but in generic terms.
- She was following the family pattern of talking about children in their own presence in the third person instead of addressing them directly.
- Tennyson talks for Tithonus in the third person.
- With a fictional character, described in the third person, there is nothing that may not be said.
WORD FAMILYnounpersonpersonalitypersonapersonagethe personalspersonificationpersonneladjectivepersonal ≠ impersonalpersonalizedpersonableverbpersonalizepersonifyadverbpersonally ≠ impersonally
1 (plural people /ˈpiːpəl/) a human being, especially considered as someone with their own particular character: He was a very nice person, always pleasant and friendly. The only person who really said anything helpful was Jack.kind/type/sort of person David was not the sort of person who found it easy to talk about his feelings. I like her as a person, but not as a boss. I still know quite a lot of people in the village. a group of young peoplecity/cat/night etc person (=someone who likes a particular kind of thing) I’m not a morning person.2in person if you do something in person, you go somewhere and do it yourself, instead of doing something by letter, asking someone else to do it etc: You have to sign for it in person.3businessperson/salesperson etc someone who works in business, who sells things etc → chairperson, spokesperson4 (plural persons) formal or law someone who is not known or not named: The police are appealing for any person who was in the area at this time to contact them. murder by person or persons unknown All 115 persons on board were killed.5on/about your person formal if you have something on or about your person, you have it in your pockets or attached to you: Customs officers found a gun concealed about his person.6in the person of somebody formal used before the name of someone who you have just mentioned in a more general way: I was met by the police in the person of Sergeant Black. → first person, missing person, person-to-person, second person, third personUSAGE: People, persons• The plural of person is usually people: · There are 25 people in the class. ✗Don't say: There are 25 persons in the class.• The plural persons is used in official English, for example in official notices, documents, or statements: · All persons born in the United States are citizens of the United States.· The maximum number of persons in each group is 14.