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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.

See Examples For:

can't help

"If I look at it cynically, I can't help but think that maybe she really wants to change" Japan's anti-nuclear commitment, 82-year-old Satoshi Tanaka, a campaigner who survived the 1945 attack on Hiroshima, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

If they can’t help themselves, why is that our problem?

From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026

"I can't help myself, I've got to tell them about it," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

By the time visitors reach the exhibition’s last gallery in this newly renovated museum, which reopened June 30 after a 20-month upgrade, they can’t help but observe the connections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Her voice is like feedback squeal to my ears: I can’t help but cringe.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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