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person

Definition of Person

(noun) A single human being; an individual.

Person Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: per·son

Audio Pronunciation

- American English
- British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English - /pUHR-s-n/
  • British English - /pUHR-suhn/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English - /ˈpərs(ə)n/
  • British English - /ˈpəːsn/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: persons
  • The term “person” is indistinguishable from the term “individual” and the usage of one term over the other in examples or definitions is a matter of style not function.

Additional Information

Related Terms


Cite the Definition of Person

ASA - American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “person.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved October 15, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/person/).

APA - American Psychological Association (6th edition)

person. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/person/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date - Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “person.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/person/.

MLA - Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“person.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/person/>.