and

¹

[ and; unstressed uhnd, uhn, after a homorganic consonant, n ]

conjunction

1. (used to connect grammatically coordinate words, phrases, or clauses) along or together with; as well as; in addition to; besides; also; moreover:

   pens and pencils.

2. added to; plus:

   2 and 2 are 4.

3. then:

   He read for an hour and went to bed.

4. also, at the same time:

   to sleep and dream.

5. then again; repeatedly:

   He coughed and coughed.

6. (used to imply different qualities in things having the same name):

   There are bargains and bargains, so watch out.

7. (used to introduce a sentence, implying continuation) also; then:

   And then it happened.

8. Informal. to (used between two finite verbs):

   Try and do it. Call and see if she's home yet.

9. (used to introduce a consequence or conditional result):

   He felt sick and decided to lie down for a while. Say one more word about it and I'll scream.

10. but; on the contrary:

    He tried to run five miles and couldn't. They said they were about to leave and then stayed for two more hours.

11. (used to connect alternatives):

    He felt that he was being forced to choose between his career and his family.

12. (used to introduce a comment on the preceding clause):

    They don't like each other—and with good reason.

13. Archaic. if: Compare an ².

    and you please.

noun

1. an added condition, stipulation, detail, or particular:

   He accepted the job, no ands or buts about it.

2. conjunction ( def 6b ).

AND

²

[ and ]

noun

, Computers.

1. a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when both operands are positive.

AND

¹

abbreviation for

1. Andorra (international car registration)

and

²

/ ən; ənd; ænd /

conjunction

1. along with; in addition to

   boys and girls

2. as a consequence

   he fell down and cut his knee

3. afterwards

   we pay the man and go through that door

4. preceded bygood or nice (intensifier)

   the sauce is good and thick

5. plus

   two and two equals four

6. used to join identical words or phrases to give emphasis or indicate repetition or continuity

   we ran and ran

   it rained and rained

   better and better

7. used to join two identical words or phrases to express a contrast between instances of what is named

   there are jobs and jobs

8. informal.
   used in place of to in infinitives after verbs such as try, go, and come

   try and see it my way

9. See if
   an obsolete word for if Informal spellingsanan''n

   and it please you

noun

1. usually plural an additional matter or problem

   ifs, ands, or buts

-and

³

suffix forming nouns

1. indicating a person or thing that is to be dealt with in a specified way

   dividend

   multiplicand

   analysand

Usage Note

Both and and but, and to a lesser extent or and so, are common as transitional words at the beginnings of sentences in all types of speech and writing: General Jackson thought the attack would come after darkness. And he was right. Any objection to this practice probably stems from the overuse of such sentences by inexperienced writers. When one of these words begins a sentence or an independent clause within a sentence, it is not followed by a comma unless the comma is one of a pair setting off a parenthetical element that follows: John is popular, and he seems to be well adjusted. But, appearances to the contrary, he is often depressed. and/or, et cetera, try.

Usage

The use of and instead of to after try and wait is typical of spoken language, but should be avoided in any writing which is not informal: We must try to prevent (not try and prevent ) this happening

Word History and Origins

Origin of and¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English and, ond; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German ant, Old Frisian, Gothic and, Icelandic and-; akin to German und, Dutch en, Sanskrit anti

Origin of and²

First recorded in 1945–50

Word History and Origins

Origin of and¹

Old English and; related to Old Frisian anda, Old Saxon ande, Old High German anti, Sanskrit atha

Origin of and²

from Latin gerundives ending in -andus, -endus

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. and so forth, and the like; and others; et cetera:

   We discussed traveling, sightseeing, and so forth.

2. and so on, and more things or others of a similar kind; and the like:

   It was a summer filled with parties, picnics, and so on.

Example Sentences

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.

From The Daily Beast

As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.

From The Daily Beast

Yes, Byrd—dead four-and-a-half years now—was a Kleagle in the Ku Klux Klan.

From The Daily Beast

Later that night, that same black-and-red banner would be seen again—in the column of marchers chanting for dead cops.

From The Daily Beast

The kids are out of school, Mom is out of get-up-and-go, Dad is out of work.

From The Daily Beast

She also practises etching, pen-and-ink drawing, as well as crayon and water-color sketching.

From Project Gutenberg

No law of that country must exceed in words the number of letters in their alphabet, which consists only in two-and-twenty.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Spurrell came down to see a horse, and we shall be very glad to have the benefit of his opinion by-and-by.

From Project Gutenberg

They were eaten too quickly, in long gulps of four-and-twenty hours at a time.

From Project Gutenberg

He walked over to the table and mixed two tumblers of whiskey-and-soda, wondering why he had not thought of it before.

From Project Gutenberg