herself

American  

[her-self] / hərˈsɛlf /

pronoun

1. an emphatic appositive of her or she.

   She herself wrote the letter.

2. a reflexive form of her.

   She supports herself.

3. (used in absolute constructions).

   Herself still only a child, she had to take care of her four younger brothers and sisters.

4. (used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb).

   She gave herself a facial massage. He asked her for a picture of herself.

5. (used in comparisons after as orthan ).

   She found out that the others were even more nervous than herself.

6. her normal or customary self.

   After a few weeks of rest, she will be herself again.

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herself British  

/ həˈsɛlf /

pronoun

1. 1. the reflexive form of she or her

   2. (intensifier)

      the queen herself signed the letter

2. (preceded by a copula) her normal or usual self

   she looks herself again after the operation

3. the wife or woman of the house

   is herself at home?

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Usage

See myself.

Etymology

Origin of herself

before 1000; Middle English hire-selfe, Old English hire self. See her, self

Example Sentences

Sara Vass, a marketing executive, calls herself “the queen of storage spaces.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

This was a genuinely awkward moment for a governor who had pitched herself as a pragmatic centrist, and she paid for it in the headlines.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

I also found comfort in the fact that Margo was figuring it out herself.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

In Wiles’ case, she wrote: “Told them my upstairs neighbor was a celebrity,” while posting an image of herself posing in her kitchen.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

The boys ventured to the edge of the platform, and Ma waved at me to stay with them as she tucked herself on the far side of a concrete pillar behind Ba and Mr. Lew.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu