both

American  

[bohth] / boʊθ /

adjective

1. one and the other; two together.

   He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.

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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 British  

/ bəʊθ /

determiner

1. 1. the two; two considered together

      both dogs were dirty

   2. ( as pronoun )

      both are to blame

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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

both Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing both

• 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

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Etymology

Origin of both

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

Example Sentences

Jess Scott, part of the team behind Guilfest, an annual two-day music festival in Surrey, knows just how important connectivity is for both ticket holders and organizers, however large or small an event is.

From BBC

Roll both sides up if SLV trades at the higher strike in the spread.

From MarketWatch

The latest round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program ended Thursday without a deal and both sides remained far apart on key issues.

From The Wall Street Journal

Evangelisti said that JPMorgan flagged Epstein’s suspicious activity to the federal government both before and after pushing him out as a client.

From The Wall Street Journal

Employers have long said that classifying such workers as independent contractors gives both businesses and workers flexibility to operate.

From The Wall Street Journal