yourself

American  

[yoor-self, yawr-, yohr-, yer-] / jʊərˈsɛlf, jɔr-, joʊr-, jər- /

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.

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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

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Usage

See myself.

Etymology

Origin of yourself

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

yourself

"If you have a good appearance, you might feel more confident, you might feel more like yourself, more comfortable," she says.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

It’s making fun of yourself in a way — like some old Victorian actor in the bowels of the theater taking his makeup off and wondering what it all means.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

“It’s all about doing the research and not just throwing yourself into an itinerary that you had in your mind,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

“You’re trying to tell yourself you should care about other people,” Khazan says.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

And just before Duane took leave, the man asked him, “Do you think that a polar bear such as yourself, and your friends, would mind if I came up here each summer to paint?”

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el