themselves
- 01 A2 Elementary
used when a group of people do something to or for themselves.
the reflexive form of 'they', used when the object of a verb or preposition is the same as the plural subject.
Simple“The children were old enough to dress themselves for school.”
In context“The board members found themselves in a difficult position after the quarterly results were leaked to the press.”
PitfallThey bought theirselves new coats. They bought themselves new coats.The word 'theirselves' is not standard English; always use 'themselves'.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
used to emphasize that a specific group of people did something, rather than someone else.
used as an intensive pronoun to emphasize the plural subject or object in a sentence.
Simple“The directors themselves attended the meeting to show their support.”
In context“While the staff prepared the venue, the athletes themselves were responsible for checking their own equipment before the race.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
used for one person when you do not know if they are male or female, or to be inclusive.
the reflexive form of the singular 'they', used to refer to a single person of unspecified or non-binary gender.
Simple“If a student has a question, they should ask themselves if the answer is in the book.”
In context“Every individual must decide for themselves whether the risks of the procedure outweigh the potential benefits.”
UsageIn formal contexts, some writers still prefer 'himself or herself', but 'themselves' is increasingly standard for singular use.
Usage themselves throughout
Morphologically them + -selves.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.