same

[[t]se͟ɪm[/t]]

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1) ADJ: the ADJ, oft ADJ as n/-ing If two or more things, actions, or qualities are the same, or if one is the same as another, they are very like each other in some way.

The houses were all the same - square, close to the street, needing paint...

In essence, all computers are the same...

People with the same experience in the job should be paid the same...

Driving a boat is not the same as driving a car...

I want my son to wear the same clothes as everyone else at the school...

Bihar had a population roughly the same as that of England.

2) PHR-CONJ-SUBORD If something is happening the same as something else, the two things are happening in a way that is similar or exactly the same.

I mean, it's a relationship, the same as a marriage is a relationship...

I want to go home having won a game of football the same as you leave the ground and you want to go away with your team having won...

He just wanted the war to end, the same as Wally did.

3) ADJ: the ADJ, oft ADJ n as n, ADJ n that You use same to indicate that you are referring to only one place, time, or thing, and not to different ones.

Bernard works at the same institution as Arlette...

It's impossible to get everybody together at the same time...

Members of his staff learn to work the same 13-hour days that he imposes on himself...

John just told me that your birthday is on the same day as mine.

...business people who spoke the same language as himself...

Gary plays football with the other children of the same age.

4) ADJ: the ADJ Something that is still the same has not changed in any way.

Taking ingredients from the same source means the beers stay the same...

Only 17% said the economy would improve, but 25% believed it would stay the same.

5) PRON: the PRON You use the same to refer to something that has previously been mentioned or suggested.

We made the decision which was right for us. Other parents must do the same...

In the United States small specialised bookshops survive quite well. The same applies to small publishers...

We like him very much and he says the same about us.

ADJ: the ADJ

Same is also an adjective.

Dwight Eisenhower possessed much the same ability to appear likeable.

6) PRON You use same to refer to something that has already been mentioned in a document such as a business letter or bill. [FORMAL, WRITTEN]

Wrist watches: ₤5. Inscription of same: ₤25.

7) CONVENTION (formulae) You say `same here' in order to suggest that you feel the same way about something as the person who has just spoken to you, or that you have done the same thing. [INFORMAL, SPOKEN]

`Nice to meet you,' said Michael. `Same here,' said Mary Ann...

`I hate going into stores.' - `Same here,' said William.

Syn:

likewise

8) CONVENTION (formulae) You say `same to you' in response to someone who wishes you well with something. [INFORMAL, SPOKEN]

`Have a nice Easter.' - `And the same to you Bridie.'...

`Goodbye, then, and thanks. Good luck.' - `The same to you.'

9) PHRASE You say `same again' when you want to order another drink of the same kind as the one you have just had. [INFORMAL, SPOKEN]

Give Roger another pint, Imogen, and I'll have the same again.

10) PHRASE: PHR with cl You can say all the same or just the same to introduce a statement which indicates that a situation or your opinion has not changed, in spite of what has happened or what has just been said.

I arranged to pay him the dollars when he got there, a purely private arrangement. All the same, it was illegal...

He was unable to pay attention to the papers on his desk. Just the same, he pulled over the stack of papers and started to examine them...

Matt is weak and dependent, but you love him all the same.

...jokes that she did not understand but laughed at just the same.

11) PHRASE If you say `It's all the same to me', you mean that you do not care which of several things happens or is chosen. [mainly SPOKEN]

Whether I've got a moustache or not it's all the same to me...

What's the difference between a white lie and a lie? I mean, it's all the same to me.

12) PHRASE: v-link PHR When two or more people or things are thought to be separate and you say that they are one and the same, you mean that they are in fact one single person or thing.

Luckily, Nancy's father and her attorney were one and the same person...

I'm willing to work for the party because its interests and my interests are one and the same.

13) PHRASE You say `the same' or `the very same' in reply to someone's question when you are saying that they have identified a person or thing correctly. [FORMAL, SPOKEN]

`This Sawtry guy, he is John Sawtry?' - `Yes, sir. The very same.'

14) at the same time → see time