ditto

American  

[dit-oh] / ˈdɪt oʊ /

noun

dittos plural

1. the aforesaid; the above; the same (used in accounts, lists, etc., to avoid repetition). do. ″.

2. another of the same.

3. Informal. a duplicate; copy.

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adverb

1. as already stated; likewise.

verb (used with object)

dittoed, dittoing

1. to duplicate or repeat the action or statement of (another person).

2. to make a copy of, as by using a Ditto machine.

ditto British  

/ ˈdɪtəʊ /

noun

1.  do.  the aforementioned; the above; the same. Used in accounts, lists, etc, to avoid repetition and symbolized by two small marks (ˌ) known as ditto marks , placed under the thing repeated

2. informal

   1. a duplicate

   2. ( as modifier )

      a ditto copy

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adverb

1. in the same way

1. informal used to avoid repeating or to confirm agreement with an immediately preceding sentence

verb

1. (tr) to copy; repeat

Etymology

Origin of ditto

First recorded in 1615–25; from Italian, variant of detto “said,” from Latin dictus, past participle of dīcere “to say”; see dictum ( def. )

Explanation

A ditto looks like a quotation mark — " — and it's used as you go down a list to indicate you're repeating whatever is above. If your jellies and jams all cost $2.00, you can write $2.00 just once with the first item on your price list and " in the price column next to each item listed below. You can also use the word ditto informally to describe repetition: "I can't believe you wore those shoes. Ditto that hat." You may recognize Ditto as the aptly named son of the comic strip characters Hi and Lois; he’s the twin brother of Dot.

Example Sentences

Ditto advances in AI, which have shown the potential to detect pancreatic cancer on CT scans at earlier stages and with greater sensitivity than can radiologists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Ditto Steyer, though he’s got a much higher profile and backing from several key unions.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Players take on the role of Ditto - a shape-shifting Pokémon who can mimic others - who appears as a human.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Ditto for shifting some of the portfolio to cheaper interceptors in development at defense tech companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

“Arthur. I don’t know his last name. I definitely don’t know his address. Ditto on the handles, but while we’re on the subject, why can’t people just have one handle for everything they do?”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera