embarrass yourself

Meaning

This expression means to do or say something that makes you feel foolish, ashamed, or self-conscious in front of other people. It is a very common reflexive phrase used in social, professional, and casual contexts.

Examples

• I was so nervous during the presentation that I was afraid I would embarrass myself.

  I was so nervous during the presentation that I was afraid I would embarrass myself.

• Don't drink too much at the office party; you don't want to embarrass yourself.

  Don't drink too much at the office party; you don't want to embarrass yourself.

• He accidentally spilled coffee on his shirt and felt he had embarrassed himself.

  He accidentally spilled coffee on his shirt and felt he had embarrassed himself.

• She practiced her speech in front of the mirror so she wouldn't embarrass herself.

  She practiced her speech in front of the mirror so she wouldn't embarrass herself.

• It's okay to make mistakes; just try not to embarrass yourself too much.

  It's okay to make mistakes; just try not to embarrass yourself too much.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I was afraid to embarrass me in front of the crowd.

  ✓ I was afraid to embarrass myself in front of the crowd.

  When the subject and the object are the same person, you must use a reflexive pronoun (myself, yourself, himself, etc.) instead of an object pronoun.

• ✗ She didn't want to make herself embarrassed.

  ✓ She didn't want to embarrass herself.

  While 'make herself embarrassed' is grammatically possible, it sounds unnatural. The active reflexive verb 'embarrass herself' is the standard idiom.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Make sure you practice the steps so you don't ___ on the dance floor.

  💡 Make yourself look foolish in public.

  Show answer

  embarrass yourself

• If you don't know the answer, just say so; don't try to make it up and ___.

  💡 Avoid making yourself look foolish.

  Show answer

  embarrass yourself