third person

/ˈθʌr(d) ˌpʌrsn/

/θəd ˈpʌsən/

Other forms: third persons

When you speak or write in the third person, you're talking about someone else, rather than speaking about yourself or directly addressing someone. Third person pronouns include "she," "he," and "they."

When a story is told in the third person, it takes the viewpoint of the people being described. This kind of narration is sometimes omniscient, with the narrator being able to see each character's inner thoughts. E.B. White's Charlotte's Web is written in the third person, a point of view that's clear from its first line: "'Where's Papa going with that ax?' said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."

Definitions of third person

1. noun

   pronouns and verbs that are used to refer to something other than the speaker or addressee of the language in which they occur
   type of:

   person

   a grammatical category used in the classification of pronouns, possessive determiners, and verb forms according to whether they indicate the speaker, the addressee, or a third party
2. noun

   narration from the point of view of the people being described, using the pronouns ‘he,’ ‘she,’ and ‘they’
   type of:

   point of view

   the perspective from which a story is told