Definition of "ourselves" in English

pronoun

1. (reflexive) Us; the group including the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition when that group also is the subject.

   • We should keep this for ourselves.
   • Let's not beat ourselves up over this.

2. (emphatic) Intensifies the subject as the group including the speaker, especially to indicate that no one else satisfies the predicate or needs to be included.

   • We did it ourselves.

3. (colloquial) Referring to everyone being addressed.

   • Come on everyone! Let's get ourselves up and out of bed, please.
   • Now then children, I'm not going to help you with the next problem. We should be able to work this one out ourselves.

4. (colloquial, may seem patronising) Referring to an individual person being addressed, especially a person in the speaker's care; also ourself.

   • Coordinate term: nurse's we
   • Hello Mrs Miggins. Did we manage to wash ourselves this morning?
   • Well done Timmy! Did we make that model ourselves?