Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - other

(others) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Note: When 'other' follows the determiner 'an', it is written as one word: see 'another'. 1. You use other to refer to an additional thing or person of the same type as one that has been mentioned or is known about. They were just like any other young couple... The communique gave no other details. ADJ: det ADJ, ADJ n • Other is also a pronoun. Four crewmen were killed, one other was injured... In 1914 he (like so many others) lied about his age so that he could join the war effort. PRON 2. You use other to indicate that a thing or person is not the one already mentioned, but a different one. Calls cost 36p per minute cheap rate and 48p per minute at all other times... He would have to accept it; there was no other way... ADJ: det ADJ, ADJ n • Other is also a pronoun. This issue, more than any other, has divided her cabinet... Some of these methods will work. Others will not. PRON 3. You use the other to refer to the second of two things or people when the identity of the first is already known or understood, or has already been mentioned. The Captain was at the other end of the room... Half of PML’s scientists have first degrees, the other half have PhDs. ADJ: det ADJ • The other is also a pronoun. Almost everybody had a cigarette in one hand and a martini in the other... PRON: the PRON 4. You use other at the end of a list or a group of examples, to refer generally to people or things like the ones just mentioned. Queensway Quay will incorporate shops, restaurants and other amenities... Place them in a jam jar, porcelain bowl, or other similar container. ADJ: det ADJ, ADJ n • Other is also a pronoun. Descartes received his stimulus from the new physics and astronomy of Copernicus, Galileo, and others. PRON 5. You use the other to refer to the rest of the people or things in a group, when you are talking about one particular person or thing. When the other pupils were taken to an exhibition, he was left behind. ADJ: det ADJ • The others is also a pronoun. Aubrey’s on his way here, with the others. PRON: the PRON 6. Other people are people in general, as opposed to yourself or a person you have already mentioned. The suffering of other people appals me... She likes to be with other people. ADJ: ADJ n • Others means the same as other people. His humour depended on contempt for others. PRON 7. You use other in informal expressions of time such as the other day, the other evening, or the other week to refer to a day, evening, or week in the recent past. I rang her the other day and she said she’d like to come round... ADJ: the ADJ n 8. You use expressions like among other things or among others to indicate that there are several more facts, things, or people like the one or ones mentioned, but that you do not intend to mention them all. He moved to England in 1980 where, among other things, he worked as a journalist... His travels took him to Dublin, among other places... He is expected to be supported at the meeting by Dennis Skinner and Tony Benn among others. PHRASE: PHR with cl, oft PHR n c darkgreen]vagueness 9. If something happens, for example, every other day or every other month, there is a day or month when it does not happen between each day or month when it happens. Their food is adequate. It includes meat at least every other day, vegetables and fruit... Now that their children have grown up she joins Paddy in London every other week. PHRASE: usu PHR after v 10. You use every other to emphasize that you are referring to all the rest of the people or things in a group. The same will apply in every other country. PHRASE: PHR n c darkgreen]emphasis 11. You use none other than and no other than to emphasize the name of a person or thing when something about that person or thing is surprising in a particular situation. He called together all his employees and announced that the manager was none other than his son. PHRASE: PHR n c darkgreen]emphasis 12. You use nothing other than and no other than when you are going to mention a course of action, decision, or description and emphasize that it is the only one possible in the situation. Nothing other than an immediate custodial sentence could be justified... The rebels would not be happy with anything other than the complete removal of the current regime... They have left us with no other choice than to take formal action. PHRASE: PHR n c darkgreen]emphasis 13. You use or other in expressions like somehow or other and someone or other to indicate that you cannot or do not want to be more precise about the information that you are giving. The Foundation is holding a dinner in honour of something or other... Somehow or other he’s involved. PHRASE: n/adv PHR c darkgreen]vagueness 14. You use other than after a negative statement to say that the person, item, or thing that follows is the only exception to the statement. She makes no reference to any feminist work other than her own... PHRASE: with brd-neg, PHR n/-ing 15. each other: see each one after the other: see one one or other: see one this, that and the other: see this in other words: see word