and/or

American  

[and-awr] / ˈændˈɔr /

conjunction

1. (used to imply that either or both of the things mentioned may be affected or involved).

   insurance covering fire and/or wind damage.

---

and/or British  

conjunction

1. (coordinating) used to join terms when either one or the other or both is indicated

   passports and/or other means of identification

---

and/or Idioms  

1. Both or either of two options. For example, His use of copyrighted material shows that the writer is careless and/or dishonest. This idiom originated in legal terminology of the mid-1800s.

---

Usage

The combination and/or is used primarily in business and legal writing: All dwellings and/or other structures on the property are included in the contract. Because of these business and legal associations, some object to the use of this combination in general writing, where it occasionally occurs: She spends much of her leisure time entertaining and/or traveling. In such writing, either and or or is usually adequate. If a greater distinction is needed, another phrasing is available: Would you like cream or sugar, or both?

Many people think that and/or is only acceptable in legal and commercial contexts. In other contexts, it is better to use or both: some alcoholics lose their jobs or their driving licences or both (not their jobs and/or their driving licences )

Example Sentences

"If the chimps are randomly sampling ripe fruit as did Aleksey, then that's going to be their average consumption rate, independent of any preference for ethanol. But if they are preferring riper and/or more sugar-rich fruits, then this is a conservative lower limit for the likely rate of ethanol ingestion."

From Science Daily

You could request to hold his power of attorney over his financial and medical affairs, and also help with his estate planning and/or call his bank and ask them to alert you to any unusual transactions, and carry out a deep clean of his house so you can excavate any cash piles.

From MarketWatch

These avenues are for situations where you see clear evidence of exploitation: The National Careline offers, among other organizations, advice on next steps, including contacting the local council and reporting the issue to her local Adult Protective Services, District Attorney’s office, and/or to the police or sheriff’s office.

From MarketWatch

According to football's lawmakers Ifab, a player who is assessed and/or receives treatment on the pitch must then leave the pitch, except when:

From BBC

The manufacturer has issued an alert to airlines, requesting them to take "immediate precautionary action…in order to implement the available software and/or hardware protection and ensure the fleet is safe to fly".

From BBC