(people, ~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Note: The usual word for ‘more than one ~’ is 'people'. The form '~s' is used as the plural in formal or legal language.
1.
A ~ is a man, woman, or child.
At least one ~ died and several others were injured...
Everyone knows he’s the only ~ who can do the job...
The amount of sleep we need varies from ~ to ~...
N-COUNT
2.
Persons is used as the plural of ~ in formal, legal, and technical writing.
...removal of the right of accused ~s to remain silent...
N-PLURAL
3.
If you talk about someone as a ~, you are considering them from the point of view of their real nature.
Robin didn’t feel good about herself as a ~.
N-COUNT
4.
If someone says, for example,‘I’m an outdoor ~’ or ‘I’m not a coffee ~’, they are saying whether or not they like that particular activity or thing. (mainly SPOKEN)
I am not a country ~ at all. I prefer the cities.
N-COUNT: a supp N
5.
If you do something in ~, you do it yourself rather than letting someone else do it for you.
She went to New York to receive the award in ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v
6.
If you meet, hear, or see someone in ~, you are in the same place as them, rather than, for example, speaking to them on the telephone, writing to them, or seeing them on television.
It was the first time she had seen him in ~.
PHRASE: PHR after v
7.
Your ~ is your body. (FORMAL)
The suspect had refused to give any details of his identity and had carried no documents on his ~.
N-COUNT: poss N
8.
You can use in the ~ 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 ~ of George Adams.
PHRASE: PHR n
9.
In grammar, we use the term first ~ when referring to ‘I’ and ‘we’, second ~ when referring to ‘you’, and third ~ 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.
N-COUNT: usu supp N
see also first ~ , second ~ , third ~