Definition of oneself in English English dictionary
- The person, previously mentioned
One can teach oneself to do this.
- A speaker or writer uses oneself as the object of a verb or preposition in a clause where `oneself' meaning `me' or `any person in general' refers to the same person as the subject of the verb. To work one must have time to oneself
- Commonly writen as two words, one's self
- Oneself can be used as the object of a verb or preposition, when `one' is not present but is understood to be the subject of the verb. The historic feeling of the town makes it a pleasant place to base oneself for summer vacations It's so easy to feel sorry for oneself. (2)
- pron. one's own person, one's own body
- A reflexive form of the indefinite pronoun one
- Oneself is a third person singular reflexive pronoun
- apply oneself
- To put forth a concerted effort; to try; to focus
His parents wished he'd applied himself better while he was in school.
- be oneself
- To behave or act naturally, without regard to how this behavior is perceived by others
- behave oneself
- To act in a polite or proper way
His mother threatened to spank him if he didn't behave himself.
- beside oneself
- Overcome; consumed by an emotion
His widow was beside herself with grief.
- break one's arm patting oneself on the back
- To be very full of oneself. Often used as a sarcastic caution - "don't break your arm patting yourself on the back"
We're the best football team in the state! - Careful, dude, don't break your arm patting yourself on the back.
- by oneself
- Alone; without assistance, accompaniment, or help from others
He sat by himself in the corner, waiting quietly.
- carry oneself
- To move, especially emphasising the way one moves
I love the way some women carry themselves with such grace and beauty.
- come to oneself
- to gain consciousness or self-control
When I came to myself I was lying, not in the outer blackness of the Mohune vault, not on a floor of sand; but in a bed of sweet clean linen, and in a little whitewashed room, through the window of which the spring sunlight streamed.
- cut oneself
- To deliberately make incisions in one's skin as a form of self-harm
- enjoy oneself
- To take pleasure, to have feelings of enjoyment
- expose oneself
- To appear nude in public
- fall over oneself
- To be unusually enthusiastic
On the contrary, instead of wholeheartedly defending Chase, Marshall fell over himself to accommodate his accusers.
- feel oneself
- To feel comfortable or normal; to be in one's usual mood or state of health
I hope you don't mind if I cancel our date this afternoon - I just don't feel myself today.
- fend for oneself
- To take care of oneself without help
After her mother passed away, she had to learn to fend for herself.
- fool to oneself
- To knowingly make a decision or take action that is to one's own disadvantage
By swimming, drunk, late at night and alone, he was being a fool to himself.
- full of oneself
- Egotistical, believing oneself to be superior to others; preoccupied with one's own work, interests, point of view, etc
I thought it not amiss to write him a line to let him know the regard you had for him, for as I know him to be vastly vain and full of himself I thought this might be a spur to his zeale.
- give of oneself
- To devote oneself unselfishly to a task, especially to give time and energy
Thank you to all our dedicated volunteers who have given of themselves to make this project a success.
- give oneself airs
- to act pretentiously, or in a snobbish manner; to swagger
- have tickets on oneself
- To be conceited
Our nickname for him was Tickets, because he had tickets on himself, Mr Thompson said. He was a good sportsman, but he also loved to tell us how good he was..
- help oneself
- To take something freely; to serve oneself without restraint
He said I could help myself to the chocolates.
- keep oneself to oneself
- To be introverted; to stay away from others
- kick oneself
- To reproach oneself for making a mistake or missing an opportunity
He's still kicking himself for not investing three years ago.
- knock oneself out
- To go ahead; to do as one pleases
- knock oneself out
- to grant permission for or to give endorsement of a suggestion or proposal, especially when the speaker is not interested in its outcome
I'm going to the store. / Knock yourself out..
- let oneself go
- to cease to care about one's appearance
- lose oneself in
- to be deeply occupied, focused or absorbed in someone or something
Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies.
- make a name for oneself
- to gain fame
- make a spectacle of oneself
- To embarrass oneself or others in public
- make an exhibition of oneself
- To embarrass oneself or others in public
- make oneself scarce
- To leave or depart, or to avoid or stay away
Perhaps I should make myself scarce before he finds any more miserable tasks to assign to me.
- make something of oneself
- To attempt to be successful on one's own initiative
He moved to the big smoke when he was 17 to make something of himself.
- paint oneself into a corner
- To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions
- piss oneself
- To laugh uncontrollably (to the extent that one might lose control of one's bladder)
- piss oneself
- To wet oneself
- piss oneself
- To be very scared (to the extent that one might lose control of one's bladder)
- play with oneself
- To masturbate
- pull oneself together
- To become mentally focused after a period of being unfocused
Damn, damn, damnation! he murmured, together with such other words as he had learnt from older men. Then he raised his hand to his forehead and said, Oh, damn it all— which meant something different. He pulled himself together. He drank a little tea, black and silent, that still survived upon an upper shelf. He swallowed some dusty crumbs of cake. Then he went back to the sitting-room, settled himself anew, and began to read a volume of Ruskin.
- pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
- To begin an enterprise or recover from a setback without any outside help; to succeed only on one's own effort or abilities
It is conjectured that Mr. Murphee will now be enabled to hand himself over the Cumberland river or a barn yard fence by the straps of his boots.
- put oneself across
- To explain one's ideas and opinions clearly so that another person can understand them and get a picture of your personality
It is very important to put yourself across well at a job interview.
- put oneself in someone's shoes
- To try to look at a situation from a different point of view; as if one were the other person. To empathise
If you could just put yourself in his shoes for a moment, perhaps you would understand why it is not as easy as you seem to think.
- relieve oneself
- To urinate and/or defecate
If you'll excuse me, I must relieve myself.
- repeat oneself
- To say what one has said again, usually several times
- resign oneself
- To give up, stop resisting and come to accept
He resigned himself to his fate and began the long walk home to face his wife.
- run oneself ragged
- To work or exert oneself to the point of exhaustion
He has been running himself ragged all week trying to finish before the deadline.
- save oneself
- To refrain from having sex until one meets a suitable person to date or betroth or marry
She told me she's saving herself for marriage.
- sell oneself short
- To belittle oneself in judgment
- sell oneself short
- To avoid being acknowledged to the fullest or purest extent, as, underestimating one's abilities or image
- shit oneself
- To soil oneself
- shit oneself
- To be very frightened or astonished (to the extent that one might lose control of one's bowels)
- shoot oneself in the foot
- To act against one's own interests; to unintentionally behave self-destructively
- soil oneself
- To lose control of one's bowels and accidentally defecate into one's clothing
- sort oneself out
- To calm down emotionally
Give me a few minutes to sort myself out and I'll be with you.
- sort oneself out
- To organize or solve one's personal problems
John took a week off work to sort himself out.
- sorted oneself out
- Simple past tense and past participle of sort oneself out
- sorting oneself out
- Present participle of sort oneself out
- sorts oneself out
- Third-person singular simple present indicative form of sort oneself out
- speak for oneself
- To provide an opinion only on one's own behalf
I'm here speaking for myself, not for my company.
- speak for oneself
- Expressing disagreement with an opinion expressed by another
Speak for yourself! I think it's a great idea.
- steel oneself
- To separate mind and body or concentrate in preparation for a rigorous or possibly painful task (e.g. a boxer steeling himself for a match)
- sure of oneself
- self-confident
When it came to sport, he was really sure of himself: he knew he was good.
- top oneself
- To outdo oneself or do more than one's previous best
- top oneself
- To commit suicide
- top oneself
- To overdose
- touch oneself
- to masturbate
I don't want anybody else; when I think about you I touch myself.
- up oneself
- smug; arrogant; self-satisfied
Don't be so up yourself.
- wet oneself
- To lose control of one's bladder and involuntarily urinate into one's clothing
- barricade oneself
- place a defense around oneself
- fend for oneself
- provide for oneself, support oneself, look after oneself, take care of oneself
- fulfill oneself
- realize oneself, realize one's ambitions
- relieve oneself
- urinate or defecate
- brace oneself
- Prepare mentally or emotionally for something unpleasant
- keep oneself to oneself
- Spend time alone, not talking to other people very much
- be oneself
- act naturally, act as one's own personality
