yourself

American  

[yoor-self, yawr-, yohr-, yer-] / yʊərˈsɛlf, yɔr-, yoʊr-, yər- /

pronoun

yourselves plural

1. (an emphatic appositive of you orye ).

   a letter you yourself wrote.

2. a reflexive form of you (used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or the object of a preposition).

   Don't blame yourself. Did you ever ask yourself “why”? You can think for yourself.

3. Informal. (used in place of you, especially in compound subjects, objects, and complements).

   Ted and yourself have been elected. We saw your sister and yourself at the game. People like yourselves always feel like that.

4. (used in absolute constructions).

   Yourself having so little money, how could they expect you to help?

5. your normal or customary self.

   You'll soon be yourself again.

6. (used in place of you after as, than, orbut ).

   scholars as famous as yourselves; a girl no older than yourself.

7. oneself.

   The surest way is to do it yourself.

---

yourself British  

/ jɔːˈsɛlf, jʊə- /

pronoun

1. 1. the reflexive form of you

   2. (intensifier)

      you yourself control your destiny

2. (preceded by a copula) your normal or usual self

   you're not yourself these days

---

Usage

See myself.

Etymology

Origin of yourself

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at your, self

Example Sentences

For all of you, is that something that you are thinking about for yourself?

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

You don’t arrive at a chapter and then find yourself needing to frantically page backwards to try to find the previous reference to a person or event, because it will already be present.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

“You will drive yourself crazy trying to find the perfect time to sell the stock, but there might be a perfect time to sell the stock for you.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

So before adding a child as an authorized user, make sure you’re using the account responsibly yourself.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

It was a huge ask, something you might try to trick a stranger into and hope for the best rather than deal with yourself.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith