pace oneself

verb

To behave in a slow and careful way in order not to overexert oneself.

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Meanings

verbpace oneself (third-person singular simple present paces oneself, present participle pacing oneself, simple past and past participle paced oneself)

present singular third person paces oneself · participle present pacing oneself · participle past paced oneself · past paced oneself

  1. To behave in a slow and careful way in order not to overexert oneself.

    Is this it, I remember thinking, as I dripped sweat and rainwater the last few yards to the manse. Is this when the body parts start to rebel and refuse to function? So I'd learned to pace myself.

    2006, James Robertson, The Testament of Gideon Mack, page 201
Cite this entry
APA

pace oneself. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pace%20oneself

MLA

“pace oneself.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pace%20oneself. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pace oneself,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pace%20oneself.

Source: pace oneself on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.