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

Throughout his medical records, I can see glimpses of who my dad is, who he’s always been—a complex soul who can be both affable and combative, cooperative and recalcitrant, depending on his mood.

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The comeback truly began to materialize last month in Las Vegas when both McLarens were disqualified for a technical infringement, leaving Verstappen to close the gap by 25 points with his Sin City victory.

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This produced a material capable of both high energy density and high power density, a combination that is rarely achieved in a single device.

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This period is notable for rising efficiency in how signals move both within individual regions and across the whole brain.

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report that they have successfully used a "zap-and-freeze" method to capture rapid communication between brain cells in living tissue from both mice and humans.

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