Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

help oneself

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.55 in modern English

Syllables: help one-self
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To serve oneself, especially to take food or other supplies, rather than wait to be served by another; used to indicate friendly permission or invitation.

verb

To take something freely; to serve oneself without restraint.

verb

To exhibit self-control.

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see help.

Example Sentences

"If you want to take a shower, help yourself to towels; they're in the linen closet."
"Is it all right if I get some water? —Oh, of course, help yourself!"
"He said I could help myself to the chocolates."
"He didn't even ask; he just helped himself to the special tea I was saving."
"Hugh helped himself to bacon. "My dear fellow, she can think what she likes so long as she continues to grill bacon like this. Your wife is a treasure, James—a pearl amongst women; and you can tell her so with my love.""
"Sorry for eating all the chocolates - I couldn't help myself."

Inflected Forms

helps oneself (present, singular) helping oneself (participle, present) helped oneself (participle, past) helped oneself (past)

Phrases

do it yourself self-help self-serve

Frequently Paired Words

do it yourself self-help self-serve

Synonyms

contain oneself help

Questions

What does help oneself mean?: To serve oneself, especially to take food or other supplies, rather than wait to be served by another; used to indicate friendly permission or invitation.

How to pronounce help oneself

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “help oneself”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “help oneself”.
Repeat and practice — Say “help oneself” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.