itselfpronoun
Itself refers back to a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned, either as the object of its own action or to point to the thing alone, apart from anything connected with it.
reflexiveused as the object of a verb or preposition when the action affects a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned, the same one that is the subject
Itself is used when the subject and the object of the same clause refer to the same thing: the machine turns itself off. For a person, use himself, herself, or themselves instead.
for emphasisused after a noun, or at the end of a clause, to point clearly to that thing or idea, often as different from the things connected with it
This emphatic use often separates the thing named from what is around it: the house itself is small, but the garden is huge. It can also simply give the noun more weight: the idea itself is not new.
Phrases
Usage
With a verb describing a change that happens on its own, such as open, close, or break, English uses by itself (the door opened by itself) and does not make itself the object. With many other verbs a reflexive object is entirely normal: the machine turns itself off; the problem will not solve itself.
See also it