each other

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

pronoun

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

   furious with each other

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of each other¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Two of the Cava trades, in April 2024, basically cancelled each other out.

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“It’s peaceful and everyone is saying hi to each other. We don’t know what’s gonna happen with the election, but we know that we showed up,” she said.

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“It always matters to step out in the light of day, in public with fellow citizens and community members, and to say out loud to each other joyfully that you believe in a better future,” Taub said.

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Then you read that scene in the script, and all of us kind of whispered to each other in the beginning, “Did you read that scene?”

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Arkapaw: The first time I saw the movie, I’m sitting next to Ryan and when it was over we just looked at each other.

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Related Words

• one