5 PHRASE If you do something in person , you do it yourself rather than letting someone else do it for you. □ She went to New York to receive the award in person.
6 PHRASE If you meet, hear, or see someone in person , you are in the same place as them, rather than, for example, speaking to them on the phone, writing to them, or seeing them on television. □ It was the first time she had seen him in person.
7 N‑COUNT Your person is your body. [FORMAL ] □ The suspect had carried no documents on his person.
8 PHRASE You can use in the person of when mentioning the name of someone you have just referred to in a more general or indirect way. [WRITTEN ] □ We had a knowledgeable guide in the person of George Adams.
9 N‑COUNT In grammar, we use the term first person when referring to 'I' and 'we', second person when referring to 'you', and third person when referring to 'he', 'she', 'it', 'they', and all other noun groups. Person is also used like this when referring to the verb forms that go with these pronouns and noun groups.
10 → see also first person , second person , third person
-person /-pɜː r s ə n/ (-people or -persons )
1 COMB [ADJ n] -person is added to numbers to form adjectives which indicate how many people are involved in something or can use something. People is not used in this way. □ …two-person households. □ …the spa's 32-person staff. □ …his 1971 one-person exhibition.
2 COMB -person is added to nouns to form nouns which refer to someone who does a particular job or is in a particular group. -person is used by people who do not want to use a term which indicates whether someone is a man or a woman. -people can also be used in this way. □ She was chairperson of the school governors. □ He had a staff of six salespeople working for him.
per|so|na /pə r soʊ nə/ (personas or personae /pə r soʊ na I /)
1 N‑COUNT Someone's persona is the aspect of their character or nature that they present to other people, perhaps in contrast to their real character or nature. [FORMAL ] □ …the contradictions between her private life and the public persona.
2 → see also persona non grata
per|son|able /pɜː r sənəb ə l/ ADJ Someone who is personable has a pleasant appearance and character. [APPROVAL ] □ The people I met were intelligent, mature, personable.
per|son|age /pɜː r sən I dʒ/ (personages )
1 N‑COUNT A personage is a famous or important person. [FORMAL ] □ …MPs, film stars and other important personages.
2 N‑COUNT A personage is a character in a play or book, or in history. [FORMAL ] □ There is no evidence for such a historical personage.
per|son|al ◆◆◇ /pɜː r sən ə l/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] A personal opinion, quality, or thing belongs or relates to one particular person rather than to other people. □ He learned this lesson the hard way–from his own personal experience. □ That's my personal opinion. □ …books, furniture, and other personal belongings. □ …an estimated personal fortune of almost seventy million dollars.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you give something your personal care or attention, you deal with it yourself rather than letting someone else deal with it. □ …a business that requires a great deal of personal contact. □ …a personal letter from the President's secretary.
3 ADJ Personal matters relate to your feelings, relationships, and health. □ …teaching young people about marriage and personal relationships. □ You never allow personal problems to affect your performance.
4 ADJ Personal comments refer to someone's appearance or character in an offensive way. □ Newspapers resorted to personal abuse.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] Personal care involves looking after your body and appearance. □ …men who take as much trouble over personal hygiene as women.
6 ADJ A personal relationship is one that is not connected with your job or public life. □ He was a personal friend whom I've known for many years.
7 → see also personals
pe r|son|al as|si s|tant (personal assistants ) N‑COUNT A personal assistant is a person who does office work and administrative work for someone. The abbreviation PA is also used. [BUSINESS ]
pe r|son|al be st (personal bests ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A sports player's personal best is the highest score or fastest time that they have ever achieved. □ [+ of ] She ran a personal best of 13.01 sec.
pe r|son|al col|umn (personal columns ) N‑COUNT The personal column in a newspaper or magazine contains messages for individual people and advertisements of a private nature. [mainly BRIT ] in AM, usually use personals
pe r|son|al com|pu t|er (personal computers ) N‑COUNT A personal computer is a computer that is used by one person at a time in a business, a school, or at home. The abbreviation PC is also used.
per|son|al|ity ◆◇◇ /pɜː r sənæ l I ti/ (personalities )
1 N‑VAR Your personality is your whole character and nature. □ She has such a kind, friendly personality. □ Through sheer force of personality Hugh Trenchard had got his way. □ The contest was as much about personalities as it was about politics.
2 N‑VAR If someone has personality or is a personality , they have a strong and lively character. □ …a woman of great personality. □ He is such a personality–he is so funny.