both
[ bohth ]
/ boʊθ /
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adjective
one and the other; two together: He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.
pronoun
the one as well as the other: Both of us were going to the party.
conjunction
alike; equally: He is both ready and willing.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
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Origin of both
1125–75; Middle English bothe, bathe, influenced by Scandinavian (compare Old Norse bāthir both; cognate with German, Dutch beide,Gothic ba tho skipa both (the) ships, Old High German bêde<*bai thai); replacing Middle English bo, ba,Old English bā; cognate with Gothic bai; akin to Latin ambō,Greek ámphō,Lithuanian abù,Sanskrit ubháu
Words nearby both
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for both
British Dictionary definitions for both
both
/ (bəʊθ) /
determiner
- the two; two considered togetherboth dogs were dirty
- (as pronoun)both are to blame
conjunction
(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 includedboth Ellen and Keith enjoyed the play; both new and exciting
Word Origin for both
C12: from Old Norse bāthir; related to Old High German bēde, Latin ambō, Greek amphō
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Idioms and Phrases with both
both
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.