See Also:

themselves (iou)



themselves pronoun pl. . ME.
[from THEM pronoun + SELF adjective (but long interpreted as THEM pronoun + SELF noun: see -S1).]
I. emphatic.
In apposition to a subjective or (rarely) objective pronoun or a noun: these particular people, animals, or things. ME.
I. Murdoch They were not themselves tempted by success. P. Ackroyd The offices themselves were grand.
(Not appositional.)
a. Subjective: they themselves. Now arch. & dial. exc. colloq. after be & after than, as. LME.
b. Objective: the people etc. in question themselves. LME.
II. refl.
Refl. form (indirect, direct, & after prepositions) of THEY pronoun; (to, for, etc.) the people etc. in question themselves. ME.
R. G. Myers Researchers..are often unsure of themselves. Ellis Peters They muffled themselves all in white to be invisible against the snow. Lifestyle Human guinea pigs who willingly subject themselves to a variety of tests. New Scientist Normal refrigerators turn themselves on and off to vary cooling.
In concord with a singular pronoun or noun of undetermined gender or where the meaning implies more than one: himself or herself. (Considered erron. by some.) LME.
G. W. Dasent Every one likes to keep it to themselves. A. T. Ellis I think somebody should immediately address themself to this problem.
Phrases: be themselves (a) act in their normal unconstrained manner; (b) feel as well as they usually do (usu. in neg. contexts). by themselves on their own.