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• and
  and

  conjunction

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

  noun

  a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when both operands are positive.
• -and
  -and

  suffix

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

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  

/ ænd, ən, ənd /

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

See Examples For:

and AND -and

The unit is steps away from Washington Square Park, Hudson River Park, and the High Line, as well as multiple subway lines.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

I’m in my 50s, and the Great Recession hit at the worst time in my life.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

For gross margin, it said it sees about 56% for 2026, compared to a previous expectation of a range between 54% and 56%.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

With a mortgage rate near 7.3% and hundreds of dollars a month set aside for property taxes and insurance, that supports a loan of roughly $300,000.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Breaking these rules can create significant backlash for the Carville administration and from the public, who still carry a deep-seated fear of the disease.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Visit slate.com/amicusplus and use the promo code AMICUS50 to receive the discount AND get access wherever you listen.

From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026

AND mind you, China is not the cheapest place to build any kind of factories nowadays.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 3, 2026

The announcement swiped at Chick-fil-A while championing its own sandwich: “bigger than Chick-fil-A’s AND available on Sundays.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025

“I’m sick of explaining that perimenopause means hot flashes AND heavy periods to guards the same age as my kids.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2024

AND SO THE shadow fell across us that winter afternoon in 1937, but it rested lightly.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

"But the message is that you can desensitise adults to peanuts -and there should be more focus on adults in the future."

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2025

"We combine wearables, EMA -and clinical records to capture a broad range of information about the patients, from physical activities to subjective reports of pain and mental health, and to clinical characteristics," Lu said.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2024

The six-part series features Nigerian Pidgin - a mix of English and local languages -and all characters are voiced by actors from the West African country.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2024

“I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior -pushing boundaries-Standing up to the patriarchy -and Most of all enjoying my life,” she wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2023

Another bend -this time to the left -and a rock beneath his foot tilted.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver