yourself
Americanpronoun
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(an emphatic appositive of you orye ).
a letter you yourself wrote.
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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.
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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.
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(used in absolute constructions).
Yourself having so little money, how could they expect you to help?
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your normal or customary self.
You'll soon be yourself again.
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(used in place of you after as, than, orbut ).
scholars as famous as yourselves; a girl no older than yourself.
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oneself.
The surest way is to do it yourself.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of you
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(intensifier)
you yourself control your destiny
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(preceded by a copula) your normal or usual self
you're not yourself these days
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of yourself
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at your, self
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.
Plus, we’ll look at how you can protect yourself from future healthcare headaches.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
If care is unpredictable or emotionally distant, you may develop strategies designed to protect yourself from disappointment or distress.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“If you’re running a text past AI to check whether it sounds OK, you’re kind of slowly teaching yourself that your own read can’t be trusted,” Golden says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Ride or Die,” for all its fanciful twists, ultimately has more realistic counsel for all the WOACAs watching: Bank on yourself and your extensively earned skills.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Do you want us to freeze to death out here? Do you? The farm is only a few hours away, twelve kilometers, maybe less. Now get a grip on yourself and just walk.”
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
