ourselves
Americanpronoun
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a reflexive form of we (used as the direct or indirect object of a verb or the direct object of a preposition).
We are deceiving ourselves. Give us a moment to ourselves.
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(used as an intensive withwe ).
We ourselves would never say such a thing.
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Informal. (used in place of we or us, especially in compound subjects, objects, and complements).
The children and ourselves thank you kindly. When it satisfies ourselves, it will be ready to market. The ones who really want the new system are the manager and ourselves.
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(used in place of we or us after as, than, orbut ).
How many parents are as fortunate as ourselves? No one loves skiing more than ourselves. Nobody heard it but ourselves.
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our customary, normal, or healthy selves.
After a good rest, we're almost ourselves again.
pronoun
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the reflexive form of we or us
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(intensifier)
we ourselves will finish it
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(preceded by a copula) our usual selves
we are ourselves when we're together
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not_standard used instead of we or us in compound noun phrases
other people and ourselves
Usage
See myself.
Etymology
Origin of ourselves
1300–50; Middle English oure selven; see our, self, -en 4, -s 3
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.
After losing $10,000 within four months, we took control of the account ourselves.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Taken together, the works here also put us in mind of Ashbery’s poetry—whole sentences that sometimes snake along on various wavelengths, demanding that we give ourselves over to the currents of the poet’s thoughts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"What we expect of ourselves this week is what we got, particularly with the ball and the wicket that aided us with the ball."
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Those particles later became the components of atomic nuclei and, ultimately, the ordinary matter found in stars, planets and ourselves.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
We dust ourselves off and make our way down the long, winding lane.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
