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can't help

Idioms

Also,. Be unable to do otherwise. For example, I can't help thinking that the keys will turn up eventually, or He couldn't help but believe he would pass the entrance exam, or I cannot but applaud his efforts. The first of these phrases, can't help, is always followed by a present participle whereas the others take an infinitive. [c. 1700]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And in a lot of ways I can’t help but connect it to your character from “UnReal” in that it creates this really interesting perspective on fame.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

His bombed-out inner life matches his description of Rotterdam so closely that it can’t help but seem like a projection.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026

Where local health clinics can't help, many people are travelling to the cities, hoping the hospitals there will be able to.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Despite the mouse’s tranquil existence, she can’t help but notice the ocean creeping closer every day.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

“They’re kind of my secret vice. I claim to be a healthy eater— I’m a nurse after all—but I can’t help it. I love ’em.”

From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023