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.
Andrew Ewbank, who runs Ewbank's and conducted the sale from the rostrum himself, told bidders he was "going for a lie down" afterwards.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Though his stage presence could easily veer into a machismo-heavy persona, Robles sets himself apart in comedy by being the opposite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
At Berkshire Hathaway, Wall Street’s skepticism of sprawling conglomerates was overcome by overwhelming confidence in Warren Buffett himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Any sequence of events that leads a person, especially someone like your father-in-law who is 81 years old, to effectively make himself penniless and dependent on others raises serious alarm bells.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
The rat wavered, as if having some mental argument with himself, then gave in.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
