Word.ws English Dictionary

same, same, but different

same, same, but different phrase: almost the same, but with some differences.

Phrase

same, same, but different

  1. (idiomatic, informal) Almost the same, but with some differences.
    • A day before I'd stepped off a train in Vladivostok in snow and ice, still hung over from the vodka hug-fest with the silver-toothed gangsters, India and Afghanistan just over my shoulder, on my mind, and then, wham, a taxi through warm L.A. -- "Fuck, man, look at that traffic!" said the driver...2010, Carl Hoffman, The Lunatic Express, →ISBN, page 270
    • I have pets too, but not nearly as many as you! Same, same but different!2011, Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw, Same, Same But Different, →ISBN

Forms of same, same, but different

alternative formsame same but different

Origin of same, same, but different

Originates in Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, where locals use it (in English) to describe things that are very similiar yet not identical, such as substitute goods in markets.

Questions about same, same, but different

What does same, same, but different mean?
Same, same, but different means almost the same, but with some differences.
What part of speech is same, same, but different?
Same, same, but different is a phrase.

Words near same, same, but different in the dictionary

  1. same shit, different toilet
  2. same thing
  3. same things
  4. same to you
  5. same's
  6. same, same, but different
  7. same-blooded
  8. same-bloodedness
  9. same-day
  10. same-day lay
  11. same-day lays

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: same, same, but different (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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