Showing results for can't help. Search instead for cant+help+but.

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 yet, in the end, you can’t help but pity the man.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

“The parents can’t help it. They’re going to get something,” Kharasch said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

One can’t help but wonder what is motivating her at this point.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

"There have been so many awful situations that I've been in that you can't help but laugh," she continues.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

“I could be completely mistaken. But I can’t help but get the oddest sense that your father didn’t believe it was a good idea for you to go to France.”

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

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