Definition of Person
(noun) A single human being; an individual.
Person Pronunciation
Syllabification: per·son
Audio Pronunciation
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 May 29, 2023 (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 May 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/person/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“person.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 29 May. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/person/>.