each other

American  

pronoun

1. each the other; one another (used as a compound reciprocal pronoun).

   to strike at each other; to hold each other's hands; to love each other.

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each other British  

pronoun

1. used when the action, attribution, etc, is reciprocal

   furious with each other

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each other Idioms  

1. Also, one another. Each one the other, one the other, as in The boys like each other, or The birds were fighting one another over the crumbs. Both of these phrases indicate a reciprocal relationship or action between the subjects preceding (the boys, the birds). Formerly, many authorities held that each other should be confined to a relationship between two subjects only and one another used when there are more than two. Today most do not subscribe to this distinction, which was never strictly observed anyway. [Late 1300s] Also see at each other's throats.

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Usage

Although some insist that each other be used only in reference to two ( The two candidates respected each other ) and one another in reference to three or more ( The three nations threaten one another ), in standard practice they are interchangeable. Each other is not restricted to two, nor is one another restricted to three or more. The possessive of each other is each other's; the possessive of one another is one another's.

Each other and one another are interchangeable in modern British usage

Etymology

Origin of each other

before 1000; Middle English; Old English. See each, other

Compare meaning

How does each-other compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• each other vs. one another

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

each other

Instead, both governments issued separate accounts of the meeting - perhaps a sign that despite the White House tours and promise of warmer ties, Washington and Beijing remain wary of each other.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The memorial installed at the college, near Alton, Hampshire, depicts two pupils, one with a sling and and another holding a cane, embracing each other.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

An Ohio judge recently ordered both parties to remove social media posts about each other that were considered disparaging.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Soon the two were addressing each other with the informal “du” pronoun, as family and lovers do, instead of the formal “Sie”—a big deal for a single man and married woman in 1850s Germany.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

We spelled each other down to the continual clang of the cowbell and wore the dictionary out, looking up meanings.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• one