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

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Compare meaning

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

• each other vs. one another

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

each other

Stores needed to be distinct, but complement each other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Somewhere, a piece of restaurant software had facilitated communication between two people who could reasonably have passed each other a saltshaker.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Wearing a royal blue jumper with a red collar, the musician then urged fans to keep an eye out for and support each other.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

"We're a close town of people, and we look out for each other."

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

But the children had run directly northwest, along the seam between Peace and Progress, and if Clare stayed in the sweet spot where those realms met, their gravities would work against each other.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

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Related Words

• one

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