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

Much of the route is single track and it only doubles at stations, where trains can pass each other, a constraint that limits traffic and makes timetable discipline critical.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

“At least the people who were dealing with nuclear weapons security knew each other and knew how the other side thought, even though they didn’t necessarily see eye to eye.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Sarah said: "They were talking to each other in Spanish and when they told us we couldn't board we thought it must have been a system failure."

From BBC • May 6, 2026

“It’s very collaborative, because we’ve known each other for so long,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

But now that she knew, once she calmed down, Russell would tell her how we felt about each other.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• one