Meaning & use
person of interest
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
Someone investigators want to speak to about a crime, who might be involved or know something but has not been accused.
Grammar: Plural is persons of interest, though people of interest is also heard.
Patterns
- a person of interest in something
- name someone a person of interest
Police named a local man as a person of interest in the robbery.
He was only a person of interest and was never charged.
Detectives are looking for a person of interest who was seen near the shop.
nouncountableinformal
Someone who attracts special attention or curiosity, for example in a general discussion or study.
Grammar: Less common, informal use outside crime reports.
Patterns
- a person of interest to someone
As the new director, she became a person of interest to every reporter in town.
The mayor is a person of interest to many local voters.
Word forms
| plural | persons of interest |
|---|
Common combinations
- named a person of interest
- The police named a person of interest on Monday.
- identify a person of interest
- Officers have identified a person of interest in the case.
- questioned as a person of interest
- The driver was questioned as a person of interest.
- person of interest in an investigation
- He remains a person of interest in the investigation.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suspect
- A suspect is believed to have committed the crime, while a person of interest might only know something useful.
- witness
- A witness saw or heard something relevant, whereas a person of interest may also be linked to the crime itself.
- defendant
- A defendant has been formally charged and is in court, which is not true of a person of interest.
Word family
- interest noun
- special attention or curiosity
- interested adjective
- wanting to know or learn more
- interesting adjective
- holding your attention
Commonly confused: person of interest or suspect?
person of interest vs suspect
Calling someone a suspect says police think they did it. Person of interest is vaguer and legally less serious.
Practice
What does it usually mean when police call someone a person of interest?
Choose one answer.
A person of interest is someone investigators want to speak to without having accused them. A conviction is far more serious and comes after a trial.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “person of interest”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.