both

[bohth]

adjective

1. one and the other; two together.

   He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.

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

/ bəʊθ /

determiner

1. 1. the two; two considered together

      both dogs were dirty

   2. ( as pronoun )

      both are to blame

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of both¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of both¹

C12: from Old Norse bāthir ; related to Old High German bēde , Latin ambō , Greek amphō

Idioms and Phrases

• 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

Example Sentences

The decision marks a sharp reversal from recent years, when multiple presidents had formally recognized both holidays.

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Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry - who have both consistently maintained their innocence - were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024.

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Internet monitor Netblocks said in a post on X, live network data showed Vodafone was experiencing "a national outage" impacting both broadband and mobile data.

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“He receives both bullets every time,” Mr. Jones told a then-colleague about a Republican, in texts that much of the country has now seen.

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Analysts say prices are climbing high enough that silver owners large and small might sell from their vaults or their grandfathers’ coin collections—both sources of aboveground inventory—which could put pressure on prices.

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