Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1100-1200
Language: Old Norse
Origin: samr

same

1 adjective
     
same1 S1 W1 [only before noun]
1

not different

a) the 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 self-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) used 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
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.
2

not 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 time

a) if two things happen at the same time, they both happen together:
Kate and I both went to live in Spain at the same time.
b) used when you want to say that something else is also true:
We don't want to lose him. At the same time, he needs to realise that company regulations must be obeyed.
4

amount/come to the same thing

to have the same result or effect:
It doesn't matter whether she was happy to leave or not. It amounts to the same thing - she's gone.
5

the same old story/excuse etc

informal something that you have heard many times before - used especially to show disapproval:
It's the same old story - his wife didn't really love him.
6

same difference

spoken used to say that different actions, behaviour etc have the same result or effect:
'I could mail the letter or send a fax in the morning.' 'Same difference. It still won't get there on time.'
7

by the same token

formal for the same reasons - used when you want to say that something else is also true, especially something very different or surprising:
I realise that he hasn't come up with any new ideas, but by the same token we haven't needed any.
8

be in the same boat

to be in the same difficult situation that someone else is in:
Others in her profession are in the same boat.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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