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Definition themselves in British English

themselves pronoun

pronoun
/ðəmˈselvz/

Themselves is a reflexive pronoun, being a reflexive form of they. It can be used especially in the following ways:

as an object that refers to the same people that are the subject of the sentence or that are mentioned somewhere earlier in the sentence: They prepared themselves for the struggle ahead.We ask people questions about themselves.

after a plural noun or the pronoun ‘they’ for emphasis: It is the party leaders themselves who make the decisions.

1

used for showing that the people or things that do something are also affected by it or involved in it

Example

They have no weapons to defend themselves.

Example

The Republicans are divided among themselves about how to spend the money.

Example

The couple had been saving up to buy themselves a house.

Synonyms and related words
2

used for referring back to a group of people already mentioned in the same sentence

Example

Dr Jeffers' book should give readers a better understanding of themselves.

Synonyms and related words
2.1

used instead of 'himself' or 'herself' for referring back to a singular subject of a sentence, especially when the subject is a word such as 'everyone', 'someone', or 'anyone'

Example

Everyone should just help themselves to the food.

Synonyms and related words
3

used for emphasizing that a particular group of people are the ones that you are referring to, and not any others

Example

No one knows more about crime than the criminals themselves.

Example

The two youths died in a fire that they themselves had started.

Synonyms and related words
3.1

used for emphasizing that a particular group of people do something without help from anyone else

Example

The kids prepared the whole breakfast themselves.

Synonyms and related words
Definition themselves in British English