Idiom
In the same boat
If people are in the same boat, they are in the same difficult or unpleasant situation.
How people use it
People say it to show shared trouble and often sympathy: don't worry about the late fee; we're all in the same boat. It is most often about problems such as money worries, delays, heavy workloads or bad news, and less often about good situations. It usually follows be: we're in the same boat. The tone is informal to neutral.
Also said: all in the same boat.
Examples
- Everyone in the class is in the same boat, so let's study together for the final.
- When the flight was canceled, the whole line of passengers was in the same boat.
- Ana and I are in the same boat: new jobs, new city and no friends yet.
Where it comes from
The image is very old: Greek and Roman writers compared people facing a shared danger to passengers on one ship, who would sink or float together. The English phrase has been used in this sense for centuries.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean if coworkers are in the same boat?
Answer: They face the same problem. In the same boat means sharing the same difficult situation.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: None of us got paid on time, so we're all in the same boat.. The idiom means sharing a situation, so getting different results does not fit.
Similar idioms
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