and

¹ American  

[and, uhnd, uhn, n] / ænd, ənd, ən, 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.

    and you please.

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noun

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

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

2. conjunction.

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.

AND ² American  

[and] / ænd /

noun

Computers.

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

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and ¹ British  

/ 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. (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

   better and better

   we ran and ran

   it rained and rained

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. Informal spellings: an.   an'.   'n.  an obsolete word for if

   and it please you

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noun

1. (usually plural) an additional matter or problem

   ifs, ands, or buts

-and ² British  

suffix

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

   analysand

   dividend

   multiplicand

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AND ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Andorra (international car registration)

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Usage

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. See also and/or, et cetera, try.

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

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

"This dramatic layering of young jets inside older, exhausted lobes is the signature of an episodic AGN -- a galaxy whose central engine keeps turning on and off over cosmic timescales."

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

Rather than growing in a smooth, steady way, the process appears to involve ongoing tension between powerful black hole outbursts and the pressure of the surrounding cosmic environment.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

What influences how long we live, and how much of that is written in our genes?

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

This means the particles there are very old and have lost much of their energy, further highlighting the impact of the cluster's extreme conditions.

From Science Daily • Apr. 13, 2026

My goals are twofold: destroy my former master, and then return home.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith