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

"What are tourists going to see? Each other?" jokes Diogo Faro.

From BBC • May 27, 2023

"But in the end ... they got what they both wanted. Each other."

From Fox News • Jul. 3, 2021

Each other player looks at the response options on the virtual cards in their hand and picks one they think fills in the blank in a funny way.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2020

"Each other" has to evolve quickly to include our flora and fauna in near and dear ecosystems going extinct and rapidly building a negative carbon economy.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2018

She filled them with mute, but with deep despair, For she never glanced up, with a smile, to where They stood about, crushing Each other, and blushing: She simply kept brushing Her beautiful hair.

From Grimm Tales Made Gay by Levering, Albert

Related Words

• one