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by oneself

 - 4 dictionary results

one⋅self

  [wuhn-self, wuhnz-]
Use by oneself in a Sentence
–pronoun
1. a person's self (used for emphasis or reflexively): One often hurts oneself accidentally.
—Idioms
2. be oneself,
a. to be in one's normal state of mind or physical condition.
b. to be unaffected and sincere: One makes more friends by being oneself than by putting on airs.
3. by oneself,
a. without a companion; alone.
b. through one's own efforts; unaided: to become a millionaire by oneself.
4. come to oneself,
a. Also, come to. to regain consciousness.
b. to regain one's self-possession; come to one's senses.
Also, one's self.
Origin:
1540–50; shortened form of one's self
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To by oneself
by 1   (bī)   
prep.  

  1. Close to; next to: the window by the door.

  2. With the use or help of; through: We came by the back road.

  3. Up to and beyond; past: We drove by the house.

  4. At or to: stopped by the bakery; came by the house.

  5. In the period of; during: sleeping by day.

  6. Not later than: by 5:30 P.M.

    1. In the amount of: letters by the thousands.

    2. To the extent of: shorter by two inches.

    3. According to: played by the rules.

    4. With respect to: siblings by blood.

    5. Used in multiplication and division: Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.

    6. Used with measurements: a room 12 by 18 feet.

    7. Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass: south by east.

    1. According to: played by the rules.

    2. With respect to: siblings by blood.

    3. Used in multiplication and division: Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.

    4. Used with measurements: a room 12 by 18 feet.

    5. Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass: south by east.

  9. In the name of: swore by the Bible to tell the truth.

  10. Through the agency or action of: was killed by a bullet.

  11. Used to indicate a succession of specified individuals, groups, or quantities: One by one they left. They were persuaded little by little.

    1. Used in multiplication and division: Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.

    2. Used with measurements: a room 12 by 18 feet.

    3. Toward. Used to express direction with points of the compass: south by east.

adv.  

  1. On hand; nearby: Stand by.

  2. Aside; away: We put it by for later.

  3. Up to, alongside, and past: The car raced by.

  4. At or to one's home or current location: Stop by later today.

  5. Into the past: as years go by.


[Middle English, from Old English bī, be; see ambhi in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

oneself 
1548, one's self. Hyphenated 18c.; written as one word from c.1827, on model of himself, itself, etc.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

by oneself

Alone, unaccompanied; also, unassisted. For example, She enjoyed being by herself much of the time, or Brian can pick up his toys by himself. [c. a.d. 1000]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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