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.

---

each other British  

pronoun

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

   furious with each other

---

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.

---

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

The new rules do not apply to notorious "coffin homes", cubicles stacked on top of each other like bunk beds in shabby dormitories.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

She would say we don’t have a pot to pee in, but we have each other, and we have enough.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

"The point about all that, though, is that it bonds you. So when I came to write with John, we had all these stories and all these experiences. We understood each other very well."

From BBC • May 27, 2026

How about Austin’s line: “All we need is each other ... and the beach.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

A few days ago the boys had accidentally kicked over the big basket I’d been storing it in, and the piece had been trampled as they chased each other around.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• one