first-per·son
ˈfərs(t)-ˈpər-sᵊn 
variants
or less commonly first person
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the first person
a first-person narrative
a first-person verb form
2
: experienced as if through the eyes of an avatar (as in a video game)
As 3-D first-person games evolved, … visual verisimilitude improved …—
Ian Bogost
Ian BogostWhen playing as the lead guitarist in first person mode players will see fans react to how they play.—Sean Michael
see also first-person shooter
Sean Michael1
a
: a set of linguistic forms (such as verb forms, pronouns, and inflectional affixes) referring to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which they occur
b
: a linguistic form belonging to such a set
c
: reference of a linguistic form to the speaker or writer of the utterance in which it occurs
2
: a style of discourse marked by general use of verbs and pronouns of the first person
Examples of first-person in a Sentence
Noun
She always wrote in the first person.
The sentence “I was born in Maine” is written in the first person.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jim Clash, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Studying Women’s Prison Newspapers Brittany Marshall May 9, 2023
Reveal Digital's American Prison Newspapers Collection offers first-person perspectives about what matters to women in prison, from pregnancy to recovery.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025
Krakauer was actually there when the disaster occurred, so readers get a first-person perspective on what happened on that fateful day.
—Christopher Murray, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025
Source code for the original C&C, Red Alert, Renegade (the first-person one), and Generals/Zero Hour has been dropped on GitHub.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first-person
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Adjective
His first-person stories include supersonic rides in seven separate aircraft pulling up to 9 Gs and flying to 84,000 feet; driving a Bugatti at 253 mph and Indy cars at 200 mph; expeditions to the North and South Poles; summiting the Matterhorn and 23,000-ft.
—Jim Clash, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
Studying Women’s Prison Newspapers Brittany Marshall May 9, 2023
Reveal Digital's American Prison Newspapers Collection offers first-person perspectives about what matters to women in prison, from pregnancy to recovery.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 3 Mar. 2025
Krakauer was actually there when the disaster occurred, so readers get a first-person perspective on what happened on that fateful day.
—Christopher Murray, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025
Source code for the original C&C, Red Alert, Renegade (the first-person one), and Generals/Zero Hour has been dropped on GitHub.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for first-person
Articles Related to first-person
Cite this Entry
“First-person.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/first-person. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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