theirself
Themselves. Dialect reflexive for they.
Also called theirselves.
Updated September 24, 2026
theirself pronunciation
/thair-SELF/
Meaning
Same job as themselves. You hear it when folks talk about a group doing something on their own: they can fend for theirself, or they got theirself in a mess. Theirselves shows up the same way. Matches the pattern of hisself instead of himself. School English marks it wrong. Porch English keeps right on using it.
How folks use it
- “They can haul that hay theirself if they want it done today.”
- “Once in a while the cattle fall and kill theirself on that steep bank.”
Origin and etymology
Regularizes the odd English pattern where himself and themselves break the possessive-plus-self rule. Southern and South Midland speech (including Appalachia) kept theirself and theirselves, same family as hisself. Documented in Smoky Mountain / Southern Appalachian English collections from oral history and older writing.
Frequently asked questions
Is theirself singular or plural?
It points at they, a group. The -self ending looks singular, but their- carries the plural. Theirselves is another plural form folks use.