himself

American  

[him-self, im-self] / hɪmˈsɛlf, ɪmˈsɛlf /

pronoun

1. an emphatic appositive of him or he.

   He himself spoke to the men.

2. a reflexive form of him.

   He cut himself.

3. (used in absolute constructions).

   Himself the soul of honor, he included many rascals among his intimates.

4. (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.

5. (used in comparisons after as orthan ).

   His wife is as stingy as himself.

6. his normal or customary self.

   He is himself again.

7. Irish English. a man of importance, especially the master of the house.

   Himself will be wanting an early dinner.

---

himself British  

/ ɪmˈsɛlf, hɪmˈsɛlf /

pronoun

1. 1. the reflexive form of he or him

   2. (intensifier)

      the king himself waved to me

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

   he seems himself once more

3. 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

Because Florsheim had no lawyer, he cross-examined his neighbor himself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

He also shared an image of himself alongside the King in the halls of Windsor Castle.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Protagonist Clark loses himself in it, transforming into an unapologetic narcissist surrounded only by facile representations of humanity.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

The bulk of its commercial pipeline is anchored in markets for AI and data centers, with Few himself pinpointing that number at close to 80%.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

"How are we ever going to get out of here?" he asked himself out loud.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios