himself
Americanpronoun
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an emphatic appositive of him or he.
He himself spoke to the men.
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a reflexive form of him.
He cut himself.
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(used in absolute constructions).
Himself the soul of honor, he included many rascals among his intimates.
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(used as the object of a preposition or as the direct or indirect object of a verb).
The old car had room only for himself and three others.
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(used in comparisons after as orthan ).
His wife is as stingy as himself.
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his normal or customary self.
He is himself again.
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Irish English. a man of importance, especially the master of the house.
Himself will be wanting an early dinner.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of he or him
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(intensifier)
the king himself waved to me
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(preceded by a copula) his normal or usual self
he seems himself once more
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the man of the house
how is himself?
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of himself
before 900; Middle English him selven, Old English him selfum, dative singular of hē self he himself; see him, 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.
For 10 years he’s covered the gap himself, supplemented by donations and buoyed by a 2025 segment on CBS 8 San Diego that brought in $12,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Corvin has done that himself, wrestling in India, France and Switzerland, as well as across the UK and Ireland.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Shareholders expect Howie to assert himself in a different way: Making sure that Abel, and whoever comes after him, remains in step with the culture his father built.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
When Salon spoke to Sheik in 2007, he spoke of what he wanted to see for himself in the future, following his success with “Spring Awakening.”
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
I want to tell her Calvin is the only one who needs to think of himself less, but she leaves me with a look that’s so .
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
