by the same token
Idioms-
In the same way, for the same reason. For example, He has a good ear for music, and by the same token he finds it easy to pronounce foreign words . This phrase today is used in a general way to connect statements that have some logical association with one another. [Mid-1400s]
-
As a corroborating circumstance, as in Boston's population has grown very fast, and by the same token its urban problems have also increased . [Late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“No one should go all-in… but by the same token, no one should stay all-out.”
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
Schultz said he recognizes the U.S. government “treated the people horribly that were here, but by the same token, those same people treated the people that were coming here horribly.”
From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2023
"But by the same token he's old enough to know right and wrong. This is for military security, and he put a lot of other people at risk."
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2023
It has annihilated the concept of a good life by the same token.
From Salon • Nov. 20, 2022
The rich girl of common sense and industry won popularity and honor; and by the same token the poor girl gained the love of classmates and the medals of distinction.
From Charles Lewis Cocke Founder of Hollins College by Smith, William Robert Lee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
