herself
Americanpronoun
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an emphatic appositive of her or she.
She herself wrote the letter.
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a reflexive form of her.
She supports herself.
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(used in absolute constructions).
Herself still only a child, she had to take care of her four younger brothers and sisters.
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(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.
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(used in comparisons after as orthan ).
She found out that the others were even more nervous than herself.
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her normal or customary self.
After a few weeks of rest, she will be herself again.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of she or her
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(intensifier)
the queen herself signed the letter
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(preceded by a copula) her normal or usual self
she looks herself again after the operation
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the wife or woman of the house
is herself at home?
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of herself
before 1000; Middle English hire-selfe, Old English hire self. See her, 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.
Auslander, a longtime jewelry collector who herself owns seven Hermès bags, felt that the finance world was overlooking luxury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
He may feel grief and even perhaps guilt as a result of inheriting a large sum of money from an individual who led a modest lifestyle herself.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Corinne Card also found herself floored when the first question she was asked in an interview for an administrative job was if she liked working with people.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
In 1901 an American botanist and travel writer, Elizabeth Taylor, traveled two hours by rowboat to reach the island and found herself stranded by a storm for 16 days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Mutti was beside herself with despair by now, weeping over Karli and trying to shake him awake.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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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.