both

American  

[bohth] / boʊθ /

adjective

1. one and the other; two together.

   He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.

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pronoun

1. the one as well as the other.

   Both of us were going to the party.

conjunction

1. alike; equally.

   He is both ready and willing.

both British  

/ bəʊθ /

determiner

1. 1. the two; two considered together

      both dogs were dirty

   2. ( as pronoun )

      both are to blame

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conjunction

1. (coordinating) used preceding words, phrases, or clauses joined by and , used to emphasize that not just one, but also the other of the joined elements is included

   both Ellen and Keith enjoyed the play

   both new and exciting

both Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing both

• best of both worlds
• burn the candle at both ends
• cut both ways
• foot in both camps
• have it both ways
• play both ends against the middle
• work both sides of the street

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Etymology

Origin of both

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English bothe, bathe, Old English bā thā “both the, both those”; cognate with German, Dutch beide, Old High German bêde; akin to Latin ambō, Greek ámphō, Lithuanian abù, Sanskrit ubháu

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Explanation

When you're talking about two things that go together, use the adjective both. If you put on both of your boots, you are wearing the left one and the right one. When you use the word both, you're always talking about two of something. If you say you're having dinner with both of your brothers this weekend, it means you have two brothers. When you call both of your dogs to come inside, it's clear you've got two dogs. There are a few theories about the origin of both, including the Old English word begen, "both," and the the Old Norse baðir, also "both."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

both

They both get something out of this relationship.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Investigators found that the red date cake and the corn sausage rolls had lead levels of 1052mg/kg and 1340mg/kg respectively, both of which far exceed the national food safety standard limit of 0.5mg/kg.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

All in all, I do only about 20% of the heavy lifting, a division of labor perfectly agreeable to us both.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

In both mice and nonhuman primates, the compound reduced levels of Clostridium perfringens and lowered ammonia production in the intestines.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

We were both wearing short-sleeved shirts, and our elbows touched.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

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