same
Americanadjective
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identical with what is about to be or has just been mentioned.
This street is the same one we were on yesterday.
- Synonyms:
- equal, interchangeable, corresponding
- Antonyms:
- different
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being one or identical though having different names, aspects, etc..
These are the same rules though differently worded.
- Synonyms:
- equal, interchangeable, corresponding
-
agreeing in kind, amount, etc.; corresponding.
two boxes of the same dimensions.
- Synonyms:
- equal, interchangeable, corresponding
- Antonyms:
- unlike
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unchanged in character, condition, etc..
It's the same town after all these years.
pronoun
-
the same person or thing.
-
the same kind or category of thing.
You're having steak? I'll have the same, but very rare.
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the very person, thing, or set just mentioned.
Sighted sub sank same.
-
the same, in the same manner; in an identical or similar way.
I see the same through your glasses as I do through mine.
idioms
-
all the same,
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notwithstanding; nevertheless.
You don't have to go but we wish you would, all the same.
-
of no difference; immaterial.
It's all the same to me whether our team loses or wins.
-
-
just the same,
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in the same manner.
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nevertheless.
It was a success, but it could easily have failed, just the same.
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adjective
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being the very one
she is wearing the same hat she wore yesterday
-
-
being the one previously referred to; aforesaid
-
( as noun )
a note received about same
-
-
-
identical in kind, quantity, etc
two girls of the same age
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( as noun )
we'd like the same, please
-
-
unchanged in character or nature
his attitude is the same as ever
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Also: just the same. nevertheless; yet
-
immaterial
it's all the same to me
-
adverb
Usage
The use of same exemplified in if you send us your order for the materials, we will deliver same tomorrow is common in business and official English. In general English, however, this use of the word is avoided: may I borrow your book? I'll return it (not same ) tomorrow
Synonym Usage
Same, similar agree in indicating a correspondence between two or more things. Same means alike in kind, degree, quality; that is, identical (with): to eat the same food every day; at the same price. Similar means like, resembling, having certain qualities in common, somewhat the same as, of nearly the same kind as: similar in appearance; Don't treat them as if they were the same when they are only similar.
Etymology
Origin of same
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; Old English same (adverb); cognate with Old Norse samr, Greek homós, Sanskrit samá
Explanation
Same means identical, similar, or unchanged. If you wear the same outfit as your best friend, your clothes will be exactly alike. That's NOT ok on prom night. You might make the same mistake on one math quiz after another — in other words, you mess up similar problems every time. You can also say that one thing is the same as another if there's an equal amount: "We got the same pay for babysitting last summer." You might wake up at the same time every day and eat the same cereal for breakfast. If so, change it up!
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.
In some ways, high school looks much the same as it did 20, even 100 years ago: sleepy eyes either light up or glaze over when a teacher poses a Socratic question.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
The cases don’t cross-reference one another, as often happens when the court decides two similar cases in the same term.
From Slate • Jul. 1, 2026
The Netherlands, with their posse of Premier League players, went the same way against talented Morocco, leading to coach Ronald Koeman's resignation less than 24 hours later.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
However, she contended that the central bank need not now “act with the same force” after the dramatic increases in energy prices in 2022-23 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
But although everything looks the same, it’s not.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
