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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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 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
Ditto, for that matter, the idea that coal is the future of energy, and that climate change is a hoax.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "The Perverse Presidency of Donald Trump," 23 June 2017
Mmm, stellar – and ditto for the penne and that Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich… Goes down mighty well with a Pimm’s Cup.

— cleveland.com, "28 best happy hours in Greater Cleveland (2017 A-List Dining Guide)," 16 June 2017
Ditto doesn’t stand for one particular transgressive identity.

— josephine livingstone, New Republic, "The Long-Awaited Return of Beth Ditto," 15 June 2017
Pork belly is on a lot of restaurant menus these days; ditto for dumplings and duck.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "Peony Kitchen: Chinese food presented with panache in Bellevue," 15 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

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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 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

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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

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verb dit·to \ˈdi-(ˌ)tō\

Definition of ditto

transitive verb
1 : to repeat the action or statement of
2 [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 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 all of Trump's spokespeople -- including Conway.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Anderson Cooper's eyeroll is all of us right now," 10 May 2017
Ditto the hysterical discussions undoubtedly now arising from an anodyne piece of climate heterodoxy by the paper’s newest columnist,...

— holman w. jenkins, WSJ, "Climate Editors Have a Meltdown," 2 May 2017
Ditto the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Colosseum (all recently restored—grazie to Fendi, Bulgari, and Tod’s, respectively).

— cnt editors, Condé Nast Traveler, "What to Do in Rome: The Black Book," 22 Mar. 2017
Ditto her aptitude for adapting her style, from California chic to high glamour.

— jessica diehl, Vanities, "From Jaden Smith to Kirsten Dunst: the Style Stars Set to Rule 2017," 1 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of ditto

see ¹ditto

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1725

See Words from the same year

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