From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsamesame1 /seɪm/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective [only before noun] 1 not different a) SAMEthe same person, place, thing etc is one particular person etc and not a different one He sits in the same chair every night. They went to the same school.same as She was born on the same day as me. It is those same people who voted for the Democrats who now complain about their policies.the very same (=the same person or thing and not a different one – used to emphasize that what you are saying seems surprising) We stood in front of the very same house in which Shakespeare wrote his plays. b) SAMEused to say two or more people, things, events etc are exactly like each other Both women were wearing the same dress. The same thing could happen again.same as He gets the same pay as me but he gets his own office.just/exactly the same something That’s funny – Simon said exactly the same thing. The furniture is made in much the same (=almost the same) way as it was 200 years ago.RegisterIn written English, people often prefer to say that two amounts or values are equal rather than the same:They demanded equal pay for work of equal value.2 SAMEnot changing used to say that a particular person or thing does not change Her perfume has always had the same effect on me. He’s the same old Peter – moody and irritable.3 → at the same time4 → amount/come to the same thing5 → the same old story/excuse etc6 → same old same old7 → same difference8 → by the same token9 → be in the same boatTHESAURUSthe same used to say that two people, things, events etc are exactly like each otherThe houses on the street all look the same.They were doing the same jobs as the men, but being paid less.just like/exactly like especially spoken used to say that there is very little difference between two people, things etcHe’s just like his father.There are insects that look exactly like green leaves.identical identical things are exactly the same in every wayThe tablets were identical in size, shape, and colour.identical namesindistinguishable two things that are indistinguishable are so similar that it is impossible to know which is which or to see any differences between themThe copy was indistinguishable from the original painting.equal two or more amounts, totals, levels etc that are equal are the same as each otherSpend an equal amount of time on each essay question.be no different from somebody/something to be the same, even though you expect them to be differentPeople often think that movie stars are special, but really they’re no different from anybody else.can’t tell the difference (also can’t tell somebody/something apart) especially spoken if you can’t tell the difference between two people or things, or if you can’t tell them apart, they look, sound, or seem exactly the same to youEmma and Louise sound so alike on the phone that I can’t tell the difference.
Examples from the Corpus
much the same• All these wines taste much the same.• For the businessman, the situation is much the same.• Very much the same applies to raspberries.• Bodie looks much the same as the day the mines closed down.• But otherwise Bodie looks much the same as the day the mines closed down.• Despite the row, adoptions continue at much the same rate as before.• More recent surveys have shown much the same results.• Very much the same story as I conjectured for Nosema in the flour beetle and for the fluke in the snail.• Soldiers are much the same throughout the world.• In other words, the stripes function in much the same way as the patterns on football shirts in human sports groups.• Phil Gramm ended his presidential bid Wednesday in much the same way he campaigned: short on emotion and long on economics.• The warranty would cover the electric car's battery pack in much the same way that gasoline engines are protected.the same old• Very comfortable, but the same old books on Manet, and of course, pictures of Olympia.• It's the same old questions when you walk in there.• All I have to wear are the same old rags I've had for years.• What have I got to say to a man whose idea of manhood is the same old sexist patriarchy?• For the most part, it's the same old song.• Some of the same old spectres are still present-such as the problem of prepared resources.• It was the same old story-profit over people.• You know... the same old thing.samesame2 ●●● S1 W1 pronoun 1 → the same2 → (and the) same to you!3 → just/all the same4 → all the same5 → it’s all the same to somebody6 → same here7 → (the) same again8 → more of the same → one and the same at one2(17)GRAMMAR: Patterns with same• You usually say the same: They both gave the same reason for leaving.I’d like the same sort of car.The buildings all look the same. ✗ They both gave a same reason. | I’d like a same sort of car.• You say the same as: His answer was the same as mine. ✗Don’t say: the same like mine | the same with mine• You can also say this same or that same followed by a noun, to emphasize it: At that same moment, the telephone rang.samesame3 ●●● S1 W1 adverb 1 → the same (as)2 → same as somebodyOrigin same1 (1100-1200) Old Norse samr 