Word
both
US/ˈboʊθ/
UK/bˈəʊθ/
Definitions
01two things together
A1 · Beginner
det. used to refer to two people or things together.
det. used before a plural noun or 'of' to refer to two entities previously mentioned or easily identified.
“Both sisters have the same green eyes as their mother.”
“Both candidates presented compelling arguments during the debate, making it difficult for the committee to reach a final decision.”
Usage
Can be used directly before a noun or followed by 'of' plus a determiner.
Pitfall
Both of students were late.
Both of the students were late.
When using 'both of', you must include a determiner like 'the', 'these', or 'my' before the noun.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02the two of them
A1 · Beginner
pron. used on its own to mean 'the two people' or 'the two things'.
pron. functions as a substitute for a noun phrase referring to two people or things.
“I have two brothers and both are taller than me.”
“The museum offered two distinct tours of the estate, and we decided to attend both to get a full history of the grounds.”
Usage
Takes a plural verb form.
Synonyms
03both... and...
A1 · Beginner
conj. used with 'and' to emphasize that two different things are true.
conj. a correlative conjunction used to emphasize the link between two coordinated entities or qualities.
“The hotel was both cheap and very clean.”
“The new policy is designed to be both economically sustainable and environmentally responsible over the long term.”
Usage
Always paired with 'and' to connect two words or phrases of the same grammatical type.
Pitfall
The movie was both long but also boring.
The movie was both long and boring.
The word 'both' must be paired with 'and', not 'but also' or 'as well as'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English bothe, boþe, from Old English bā þā (“both the; both those”) and possibly reinforced by Old Norse báðir, from Proto-Germanic *bai. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bee (“both”), West Frisian beide (“both”), Dutch beide (“both”), German beide (“both”), Swedish både, båda, Danish både, Norwegian både, Icelandic báðir. Replaced Middle English bō, from Old English bā, a form of Old English bēġen. A remnant of the Indo-European dual grammatical number.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Grammar
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
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