ditto

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noun dit·to \ ˈdi-(ˌ)tō \

Definition of ditto

plural dittos

1 :a thing mentioned previously or above —used to avoid repeating a word —often symbolized by inverted commas or apostrophes

2 :a ditto mark

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See ditto defined for kids

Examples of ditto in a Sentence

Until recently most of us believed that such regimens, which usually require a personal trainer, were available only to women whose bodies are their fortune (think Madonna), or who have nothing better to do with their time (ditto). —Jennifer Newman, Elle, June 1993
Flexner is especially good at showing how misguided attempts to repair furniture can cause more problems than they solve. Using a nail instead of glue to tighten a loose leg on an old chair (as I myself have done) will often destroy the chair, by splitting the wood and ruining the joint (ditto). —David Owen, Atlantic, September 1989
David is not exactly a crank who writes to writers, although he is probably a bit of that too. I don't know how he gets his living, or whether his letters romanticize either his proverty (he reports only a hunger for books) or his passion (ditto); still, David is a free intellect, a free imagination. —Cynthia Ozick, New York Times Book Review, 25 Mar. 1984

Recent Examples of ditto from the Web

Ditto for the large 45Madison apartments that fill the block between 44th and 45th streets.

— diane stafford, kansascity, "Development in midtown KC eating up the city’s green spaces," 27 Aug. 2017
Ditto, McDonald's could add, meaningfully, to the discussion on the minimum wage, for instance by pointing out there is no single minimum that can be effective in both, say, Arlington, Virginia, and Ashland, Kentucky.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Where CEOS could really hit Trump: commentary," 19 Aug. 2017
A family long defined by its chilly reserve is now praised for its candor (at least sometimes) and willingness to break with tradition (ditto).

— life books, Time, "The World-Changing Evolution of Princess Diana," 9 Aug. 2017
The seeds did improve yield compared with the local Obatanpa variety, but Ghanaians couldn’t afford to purchase more for the following year’s crop; ditto the chemical inputs (pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers) that ensured success.

— sarah mccoll, Smithsonian, "The Complicated Growth of 4-H," 26 July 2017
Ditto suing farmers for having seeds blow into their field—total myth.)

— yvette d'entremont, SELF, "Don’t Let Yourself Be Convinced That GMOs Are Evil," 18 July 2017
Ditto for Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and adviser, whose own company relies exclusively on foreign factories in Bangladesh, Indonesia, China and elsewhere, a recent investigation by The Post revealed.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: 'Made in America' week belies weak manufacturing numbers," 17 July 2017
Ditto for Washington, who needs to pay up to keep Otto Porter and doesn’t have much else to facilitate the addition of a star to complement Wall and Bradley Beal.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "Are The Celtics On The Brink Of A Superteam?," 28 June 2017
Ditto Jack Morris’ 10-inning shutout of the Braves in Game 7, 1991.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds LHP Brandon Finnegan's injury begs an easy question and a hard one," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ditto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ditto

Italian ditto, detto, past participle of dire to say, from Latin dicere — more at diction

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1639

See Words from the same year

Other Printing Terms

epigraph, errata, leader, mechanical, notch, tittle, underscore, widow

ditto

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adjective dit·to \ ˈdi-(ˌ)tō \

Definition of ditto

:having the same characteristics :similar

Examples of ditto in a Sentence

another mega mall filled with chain stores selling ditto merchandise

Recent Examples of ditto from the Web

Ditto eyes: Smith spills plenty of ink on her characters’ limpid, luminous irises.

— julia felsenthal, Vogue, "Before There Was Twilight, Harry Potter, and Goop-Approved Crystals, There Was The Secret Circle," 19 June 2017
Ditto hospitals deciding whether to have empty beds.

— megan mcardle, The Denver Post, "Why not try “Medicare for all”? Glad you asked," 9 June 2017
Ditto net neutrality and vote-by-mail The Federal Communications Commission this month opened public commentary for its revision of net neutrality rules.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "7 things to expect at Ron Wyden's town hall meetings," 25 May 2017
Ditto lipstick-smudged or otherwise soiled glassware, a common problem.

— justin kennedy, GQ, "How to Tell a Great Beer Bar From a Lame One," 22 May 2017
Ditto Vetements (and Demna Gvasalia got another nod for Balenciaga).

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "Site Information Navigation," 26 Oct. 2016

Origin and Etymology of ditto

see ¹ditto

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1668

See Words from the same year

ditto Synonyms

Synonyms

akin, analogous, cognate, comparable, connate, correspondent, corresponding, alike, like, matching, parallel, resemblant, resembling, similar, such, suchlike

Antonyms

different, dissimilar, diverse, unakin, unlike

Near Antonyms

disparate, distinct, distinguishable, nonequivalent, noninterchangeable; variable, varied, various, varying; imprecise, inaccurate, inexact; unconnected, unrelated

ditto

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adverb dit·to \ ˈdi-(ˌ)tō \

Definition of ditto

:as before or aforesaid :in the same manner

See ditto defined for English-language learners

Examples of ditto in a Sentence

I worry that I don't have whatever synapses you need to anticipate fun. Although I often enjoy parties, I don't look forward to them. Ditto travel, romantic dinners, even shopping. —O, The Oprah Magazine, January 2007
Work your way up through the faculty ranks, they said. Don't get pigeonholed by focusing on affirmative action or African-American studies. Ditto for women's issues. Good advice, maybe, but Simmons, 56, the new president of Brown University, never paid much attention to it. —Barbara Kantrowitz, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2001/7 Jan. 2002
She sinks to her knees and seizes a package, eagerly looking at the tag. It will be from her, or to her, and she will recognize her own name. But the card is blank. Ditto the next package; ditto the third. They are all blank. —Mary Tannen, New York Times Magazine, 20 Dec. 1998
Tuesday was spent working all day, and Wednesday was spent ditto.

Origin and Etymology of ditto

see ¹ditto

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1706

See Words from the same year

ditto Synonyms

Synonyms

alike, correspondingly, also, likewise, similarly, so

Antonyms

differently, dissimilarly, otherwise

Related Words

equally, equivalently, identically

Near Antonyms

contrarily, conversely, inversely, oppositely, vice versa; diversely, unequally, variously

ditto

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verb dit·to \ ˈdi-(ˌ)tō \

Definition of ditto

transitive verb

1 :to repeat the action or statement of

[from Ditto, a trademark]

:to copy (something, such as printed matter) on a duplicator

Examples of ditto in a Sentence

My favorite was "Sports Collector's News" (the exact pluralization and positioning of the apostrophe I can't quite remember), a dittoed journal produced in some Wisconsin backwater by a man with a Ukrainian surname. —Alexander Wolff, Sports Illustrated, 15 Sept. 1986
since you've said what I wanted to say—only better—I will just ditto your comments in my final report

Recent Examples of ditto from the Web

Ditto the (admittedly welcome) return of the Hound.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones Really Needs to Start Killing off Its Heroes Again," 21 Aug. 2017
Ditto his ability to transcend even so-so songs through the sheer force of his musical skills and personality.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Elvis Presley, 40 years after his death, remains an icon and a cautionary tale," 6 Aug. 2017
Ditto the ST’s lowered, firmer suspension relative to regular Fiestas.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "2017 Ford Fiesta ST," 2 Aug. 2017
Ditto an outsider named Mike, whose family will eventually hunker down on Jacob’s farm.

— mike fischer, Detroit Free Press, "Books: A dystopian novel set among the Amish," 29 July 2017
Ditto the switchgear, including a rotary gear selector.

— jeff sabatini, Car and Driver, "2017 Dodge Durango vs. 2017 GMC Acadia, 2017 Honda Pilot, 2017 Mazda CX-9, 2018 Volkswagen Atlas," 13 July 2017
Ditto the guy before him, Ohio's Bob Taft, as FiveThirtyEight notes.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "New Jersey is calling Chris Christie names. And now he’s calling them names right back.," 10 July 2017
Yes, chairs on wheels whiz in and out, ditto a desk, people run around in circles and bob up and down at will.

— joanne engelhardt, The Mercury News, "If you stay awake, ‘[title of show]’ is an easy time in the theater," 31 May 2017
Ditto all of Trump's spokespeople -- including Conway.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Anderson Cooper's eyeroll is all of us right now," 10 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of ditto

see ¹ditto

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1725

See Words from the same year

ditto Synonyms

Synonyms

repeat, echo, parrot, quote, reecho

Related Words

mouth; ape, copy, copycat, emulate, imitate, mime, mimic

DITTO Defined for English Language Learners

ditto

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noun

Definition of ditto for English Language Learners

: a pair of marks " used underneath a word to save space and show that the word is repeated where the marks are

ditto

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adverb

Definition of ditto for English Language Learners

—used to say that whatever you have said about one person or thing is also true of another person or thing
—used in speech to show you agree with what someone has just said or have the same opinion

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