person
noun /ˈpɜːsn/
/ˈpɜːrsn/
(plural people
The plural form persons is used in some formal language.Idioms /ˈpiːpl/
/ˈpiːpl/
)- a human as an individual
- What sort of person would do a thing like that?
- He's a fascinating person.
- as a person What is she like as a person?
- He's just the person we need for the job.
- She's the only person I can talk to about my problems.
- Gary was the last person I expected to see when I answered the doorbell.
- I had a letter from the people who used to live next door.
- I'm not really a city person (= I don't really like cities).
Extra Examples- Can I speak to the person in charge, please?
- I'm not a religious person.
- Police think they have found the person responsible for the muggings.
- Robbie did what any other sane person would do in this situation.
- She is a warm but very private person.
- She's the right person for the job.
- The disciplinary panel will notify the person concerned of its findings.
- The police now realize that they had the wrong person.
- a mentally ill person
- a person from Vietnam
- a person from the same family as Gina
- an openly gay person working in business
- the imprisonment of an innocent person
- It's easy to send an email to the wrong person by accident.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- young
- elderly
- old
- …
- as a person
- in person
- person from
- …
- the person concerned
- the person in charge
- the person responsible
- …
- (formal or disapproving) a human, especially one who is not identified
- A certain person (= somebody that I do not wish to name) told me about it.
- The price is $40 per person.
- This vehicle is licensed to carry 4 persons. (= in a notice)
- (law) The verdict was murder by a person or persons unknown.
- The virus is spread from person to person.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- young
- elderly
- old
- …
- as a person
- in person
- person from
- …
- the person concerned
- the person in charge
- the person responsible
- …
- -person(in compounds) a person working in the area of business mentioned; a person connected with the thing mentioned
- a salesperson
- a spokesperson
- (grammar) any of the three classes of personal pronouns. The first person (I/we) refers to the person(s) speaking; the second person (you) refers to the person(s) spoken to; the third person (he/she/it/they) refers to the person(s) or thing(s) spoken about.Topics Languageb2
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French persone, from Latin persona ‘actor's mask, character in a play’, later ‘human being’.
Idioms
about/on your person
- (formal) if you have or carry something about/on your person, you carry it about with you, for example in your pocket
- Relatives of the dead man were traced through an address found on his person.
be no respecter of persons, age, class, etc.
- to treat everyone in the same way, without being influenced by their importance, wealth, etc.
- Death is no respecter of persons.
in person
- if you do something in person, you go somewhere and do it yourself, instead of doing it by letter, asking somebody else to do it, etc.
- He had to pick up his welfare cheque in person.
- She appeared in person to collect her prize.
in the person of somebody
- (formal) in the form or shape of somebody
- Help arrived in the person of his mother.
- The firm has an important asset in the person of the sales director.