find oneself
Idioms-
Become aware of what one wishes and can best do in life. For example, At last he's found himself—he really loves teaching . The same idea was sometimes put as to find one's feet , transferring a baby's new ability to stand or walk to a person becoming conscious of his or her abilities. [Late 1800s]
-
Discover where one is; also, how one is feeling. For example, He suddenly found himself on the right street , or To my surprise I find myself agreeing with you . [Mid-1400s]
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.
As she wrote in 2010, “It isn’t easy to suddenly find oneself alone in the room.”
From New York Times
To read these books is to find oneself asking what constitutes a happy ending when order cannot be restored.
From Los Angeles Times
We were on the same journey that all queer people are on — the journey of finding oneself and being found.
From Los Angeles Times
To abide in these pages is to find oneself happily detained in awe.
From Washington Post
Losing and finding oneself is central to the book and its characters.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
