Meaning & use
persons
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“persons” is a form of “person”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplurallegal
The plural of person, used mainly in official, legal or formal notices to mean individual human beings.
Grammar: Takes a plural verb and is common after numbers or in rules: no more than four persons.
Patterns
- persons under 18
- a number of persons
The lift is limited to six persons at a time.
Persons wishing to appeal must write to the committee within ten days.
The police are seeking two persons seen near the building.
Common combinations
- missing persons
- The missing persons unit reopened the case.
- displaced persons
- Aid agencies are housing displaced persons in temporary camps.
- persons of interest
- Officers named two persons of interest in the theft.
- persons unknown
- The court order was served on persons unknown.
- maximum of ten persons
- The room holds a maximum of ten persons.
Synonyms and how they differ
- people
- This is the ordinary plural and sounds natural in speech, while persons sounds like a rule or an official report.
- individuals
- This stresses people as separate units and works well in formal writing.
- citizens
- This is narrower, only referring to people with citizenship of a state.
Word family
- person noun
- a single human being
- personal adjective
- belonging to one individual
- personality noun
- the qualities that make someone distinct
- impersonal adjective
- not influenced by individual feelings
Commonly confused: persons or people?
persons vs people
People is the everyday plural; use persons only in formal or legal wording. A people (countable) can also mean an ethnic group.
Practice
The sign in the elevator says: Maximum capacity eight _____.
Choose one answer.
Persons is the formal plural used on official notices. Personalities refers to character, persona is a role or image, and person's is a possessive.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “persons”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.