can't help but

past couldn't help but

1. alternativeno past participleno present participleAlternative form of cannot but.

   The point is virality—content so outlandish that people can’t help but talk about it.

   2020 April 7, Sophie Gilbert, “The Most-Watched Show in America Is a Moral Failure”, in The Atlantic

   5 more examples

   Nevertheless, now that his latest fantasy epic has confirmed my nonexpectations, I can't help but wonder why Willow has been getting such a drubbing from the same reviewers who responded to the early Lucas mega-hits with such enthusiasm.

   1988 June 10, Jonathan Rosenbaum, “May the Formula Be With You”, in Chicago Reader, archived from the original on 28 Nov 2020

   “I hate being the youngest and the only gold-star lesbian. It's so cliché. Like some of you, I've thought about giving the other side a try. You really can't help but wonder what it's like.[…]”

   2005 March 29, Linda Wagner, Faithful to My Heart, West Conshohocken: Infinity Publishing, →ISBN, page 48

   There's an old joke that I used to hear occasionally on British television shows: "It's not theft—it's socialism!" I couldn't help but think of it repeatedly as I read this paper on self-organizing institutional arrangements among pirates, which bears some disturbing similarities to an hours-long anarcho-capitalist bull session.

   2008 February 15, Megan McArdle, “Piracy: a symphony of spontaneous order”, in The Atlantic

   'Glasses are so two thousand and late,' he says. 'Is it a deal-breaker?' I ask. 'No, but would you do it as a favour to me?' I couldn't help but be affected by the passion in his voice, so albeit reluctantly I booked an appointment with ...

   2010, Harry Hill, Livin' the Dreem: A Year in My Life, Faber & Faber, →ISBN, page 124

   So I can't help but think this idea has bled over into society, where both white and nonblack people of color (NBPOC) have bought into it.

   2020, Anika Gupta, How to Handle a Crowd: The Art of Creating Healthy and Dynamic Online Communities, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN