Dictionary

can't help but en · VERB

Meanings

1. (alt-of, alternative, no-past-participle, no-present-participle) Alternative form of cannot but.
   alt of cannot but
   • '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:
   • 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:
   • 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:
   • 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:
   • “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 14, Linda Wagner, Faithful to My Heart, West Conshohocken: Infinity Publishing, →ISBN, page 48:
   • 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:

Forms