take it upon oneself
To assume personal responsibility for a task or action.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He took it upon himself to clean the kitchen.”
“Since no one else volunteered to organize the event, she took it upon herself to handle the planning.”
“Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the manager took it upon himself to resolve the conflict before it escalated further.”
- 01
adorn oneself with borrowed plumes
To claim the honor of another for oneself.
- 02
apply oneself
Synonym of strive: to work hard, to complete an activity with good effort and focus.
- 03
be oneself
To behave or act naturally, without regard to how this behavior is perceived by others.
- 04
be taken ill
To become ill.
- 05
bear oneself
To behave and conduct oneself in a particular manner.
- 06
box oneself into a corner
To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.
- 07
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 08
carry oneself
To move, especially emphasizing the manner in which one moves.
Last updated August 10, 2026