yours truly

American  

[yoorz troo-lee, yawrz] / ˈyʊərz ˈtru li, ˈyɔrz /

adverb

1. a conventional phrase used at the end of a letter.

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pronoun

1. Informal. I; myself; me.

   I'm only in business to profit yours truly.

yours truly British  

pronoun

1. an informal term for I, myself , or me

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yours truly Idioms  

1. A closing formula for a letter, as in It was signed “Yours truly, Mary Smith.” [Late 1700s]

2. I, me, myself, as in Jane sends her love, as does yours truly . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of yours truly

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

No one will be happier lying in their hospital bed than yours truly.

From Barron's • Jan. 1, 2026

“Chuck Berry: The Autobiography” lays it on the table: “This book is entirely written, phrase by phrase, by yours truly, Chuck Berry.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

The Moneyist, yours truly, has drawn comparisons between the labor market of today and that of the 1990s: a decline in white-collar jobs, falling consumer confidence, rising unemployment and a tightening of temporary workers.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 20, 2025

These days he would have too much of an image to uphold, and too much security required, to be seen in the same dodgy establishments as yours truly.

From BBC • May 12, 2025

“But, my dear knight, how could yours truly foresee a calamity of this nature?”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White