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

One Facebook group called 'Exposing Abuse: 2x2s' has more than 10,000 members from across the world offering each other support.

From BBC

"For us to know each other, it gets rid of that isolated 'me against the world' feeling - it's actually us against the church."

From BBC

“We know each other as dating, not dating, happy and unhappy,” he said in a joint interview with his Olympic partner.

From The Wall Street Journal

“So we basically know each other 360.”

From The Wall Street Journal

But all along, they had promised each other that as long as the partnership worked inside the rink, they would stick with it no matter what happened outside.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• one