ourselves

ourselves
our|selves
W3S1 [auəˈselvz US aur-] pron
1.) used by the person speaking to show that they and one or more other people are affected by their own action
▪ We prepared ourselves for the long journey ahead.
▪ It was strange seeing ourselves on television.
2.)
a) used to emphasize 'we' or 'us'
▪ We built the house ourselves.
▪ As parents ourselves, we understand the problem
b) used after 'as', 'like', or 'except' instead of 'us'
▪ More help is needed for people like ourselves.
3.) (all) by ourselves
a) alone
▪ We weren't supposed to play by ourselves near the pond.
b) without help from anyone else
▪ I knew that Tim and I wouldn't be able to do the whole job by ourselves.
4.) (all) to ourselves
without having to share something with any other people
▪ We had the house to ourselves.

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • ourselves — [ourselvz′; ärselvz′] pron. [LME ure selves, for Midland ure selven, replacing us selven, lit., us selves] a form of WE, used: a) as an intensifier [we ourselves saw it] b) as a reflexive [we hurt ourselves] c) with the meaning “our real, true,… …   English World dictionary

  • Ourselves — Our*selves , pron.; sing. {Ourself} (?). An emphasized form of the pronoun of the first person plural; used as a subject, usually with we; also, alone in the predicate, in the nominative or the objective case. [1913 Webster] We ourselves might… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ourselves — may refer to: Sinn Féin, a series of Irish political movements in the 20th century. (song), a single by J pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki which contains the song Ourselves. ourselves (album), an album by band 7 Seconds. This disambiguation page lists… …   Wikipedia

  • ourselves — ► PRONOUN (first person pl. ) 1) used as the object of a verb or preposition when this is the same as the subject of the clause and the subject is the speaker and one or more other people considered together. 2) (emphatic ) we or us personally …   English terms dictionary

  • ourselves — our|selves [ aur selvz ] pronoun *** Ourselves is a reflexive pronoun, being the reflexive form of we. It can be used especially in the following ways: as an object that refers to the same people who are the subject of the sentence or who are… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • ourselves */*/*/ — UK [aʊə(r)ˈselvz] / US [aʊrˈselvz] pronoun Summary: Ourselves is a reflexive pronoun, being the reflexive form of we. It can be used especially in the following ways: as an object that refers to the same people who are the subject of the sentence …   English dictionary

  • ourselves — [[t]aʊə(r)se̱lvz[/t]] ♦♦♦ (Ourselves is the first person plural reflexive pronoun.) 1) PRON REFL: v PRON, prep PRON You use ourselves to refer to yourself and one or more other people as a group. We sat round the fire to keep ourselves warm... It …   English dictionary

  • ourselves — /ahr selvz , oweur , ow euhr /, pron.pl. 1. 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. 2. (used as an intensive with… …   Universalium

  • ourselves — pronoun 1 the reflexive form of we : It was strange seeing ourselves on television. | We all introduced ourselves before the meeting started. 2 used to emphasize the pronoun we, a plural noun etc: Not many people realise we built the house… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • ourselves*/*/ — [aʊəˈselvz] pronoun 1) the REFLEXIVE form of ‘we , used for showing that both you and the group that you are a part of are affected by what you do together We kept ourselves awake by playing card games.[/ex] We are doing this for ourselves and… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

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