Word.ws English Dictionary

certain person

certain person noun: [in relation to a specific action] a person who is a member of a specific class for whom the action constitutes a crime; typically the action is possession of a weapon and the class is convicted felons.

Noun

certain person (plural certain persons)

  1. (US, informal, criminal law) [in relation to a specific action] a person who is a member of a specific class for whom the action constitutes a crime; typically the action is possession of a weapon and the class is convicted felons
    • What is a “Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons″ Offense in New Jersey? Chamlin Uliano & Walsh
      A Certain Persons Offense is considered a Fourth Degree Crime, punishable by a maximum term of 18 months in New Jersey State Prison if the defendant satisfies any of the criteria for a “certain person” and...
    • Julio Cesar Salas, 20, of Fort Smith is facing two counts of felony breaking and entering, theft of property, theft of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a certain person, one count of felony possession of a controlled substance, as well as three counts of misdemeanor theft of property, and...2017 April 17, Two Arrested On Suspicion Of Breaking Into Many Cars, One Wanted
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see certain, person.

Forms of certain person

pluralcertain persons

Origin of certain person

The heading of the relevant section of the criminal code; e.g.: * 2020 Arkansas Code § 5-73-103 "Possession of firearms by certain persons" * NJ Rev Stat § 2C:39-7 (2019) "Certain persons not to have weapons or ammunition"

Questions about certain person

What does certain person mean?
Certain person means [in relation to a specific action] a person who is a member of a specific class for whom the action constitutes a crime; typically the action is possession of a weapon and the class is convicted felons.
What part of speech is certain person?
Certain person is a noun.
What is the plural of certain person?
The plural of certain person is certain persons.

Words near certain person in the dictionary

  1. certain
  2. certain as death and taxes
  3. certain as death or taxes
  4. certain event
  5. certain events
  6. certain person
  7. certain persons
  8. certaine
  9. certainer
  10. certainest
  11. certainities

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: certain person (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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