by the same token

Idioms & Phrases

by the same token

  1. In the same way, for the same reason. For example, He has a good ear for music, and by the same token he finds it easy to pronounce foreign words. This phrase today is used in a general way to connect statements that have some logical association with one another. [Mid-1400s]

  2. As a corroborating circumstance, as in Boston's population has grown very fast, and by the same token its urban problems have also increased. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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