Ourselves
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /aʊəˈsɛlvz/ · Part of speech pronoun
Quick meaning: Ourselves is a pronoun meaning (reflexive) Us; the group including the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition when that group also is the subject.
Meaning
(reflexive) Us; the group including the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition when that group also is the subject.
More Meanings
- (colloquial) Referring to everyone being addressed.
- (emphatic) Intensifies the subject as the group including the speaker, especially to indicate that no one else satisfies the predicate or needs to be included.
- (colloquial, may seem patronising) Referring to an individual person being addressed, especially a person in the speaker's care; also ourself.
Example Sentences
We did it ourselves.
Coordinate term: nurse's we
We should keep this for ourselves.
Let's not beat ourselves up over this.
Synonyms for ourselves
Depending on context, synonyms include usself, weself.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include alone, creating, even, herself, himself, itself.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.