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

The original Berlin patient, Timothy Ray Brown, was the first person declared cured of HIV back in 2008.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

McIlroy’s approach to preparing for this year’s Masters was inspired in part by Nicklaus, the first person to repeat at Augusta National.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

It was also a voyage marked by historic achievements: Glover was the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Yaima Pacheco Muñoz, 37, was the first person to start dancing, along with a friend, Míosoti Bell Leon, 52.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Some days, Bat was the first person awake.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold