herself

American  

[her-self] / hərˈsɛlf /

pronoun

1. an emphatic appositive of her or she.

   She herself wrote the letter.

2. a reflexive form of her.

   She supports herself.

3. (used in absolute constructions).

   Herself still only a child, she had to take care of her four younger brothers and sisters.

4. (used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb).

   She gave herself a facial massage. He asked her for a picture of herself.

5. (used in comparisons after as orthan ).

   She found out that the others were even more nervous than herself.

6. her normal or customary self.

   After a few weeks of rest, she will be herself again.

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herself British  

/ həˈsɛlf /

pronoun

1. 1. the reflexive form of she or her

   2. (intensifier)

      the queen herself signed the letter

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

   she looks herself again after the operation

3. the wife or woman of the house

   is herself at home?

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Usage

See myself.

Etymology

Origin of herself

before 1000; Middle English hire-selfe, Old English hire self. See her, self

Example Sentences

Sheryl Moore, an independent analyst who tracks life-insurance sales, has long been a user of these policies herself.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

On Dec. 8, the night before she was scheduled to return to work, Waldorf found herself frantically cleaning her house and snapping at her daughter.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

When she’s not writing, she loves to immerse herself in another form of art — music.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

And so Toone finds herself in full swing for her July wedding, where there will be "a lot of mixed emotions".

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Her agitation grew as she listed the indignities, but then she inhaled and pressed her lips together as if trying to compose herself.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu