DictionaryAI

both

SayBOHTH/boʊθ/UK/bəʊθ/

4 meanings of both

Practice

  1. 1
    two (thing follows)determiner
    Used before a noun to mean the two people or things together, not just one.

    Like holding up two fingers to show you mean the two, not just one.

    Both dogs ran to the door when the bell rang.

    He painted both walls a bright shade of blue.

    UsageSay both my friends or both of them.

    Oppositeneither

  2. 2
    two linked itemsconjunction
    Used with the word 'and' to show that something is true of two things at once.

    Like putting two things in the same box to show they go together.

    She speaks both English and Spanish at home.

    The trip was both fun and tiring.

    UsageUse the same kind of word after both and after and: both singing and dancing, both fun and tiring.

    Oppositeneither

    Note
  3. 3
    two of thempronoun
    Used to mean the two people, things, or kinds, not just one.

    Like answering "the two of them" when someone asks which one you mean.

    I have two cats, and both like to sleep on the couch.

    She offered me tea or coffee, and I wanted both.

    Oppositeneither

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    conjunctionobsolete
    In old English use, paired with 'and' to cover all of several things, not just two.
    Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound.
    1766, [Oliver Goldsmith], The Vicar of WakefieldHere, both covers all four kinds of dog in the list, not just two.
    He prayeth well who loveth well both man and bird and beast.
    1797, [Samuel Taylor Coleridge], “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere”Here, both covers all three, man and bird and beast, not just two.
    Note

Use it in a sentence

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Origin

From Old English 'bā þā' meaning 'both the', and maybe also shaped by Old Norse 'báðir'. It is a leftover of the old dual number, used for two things.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts