# both

/ˈboʊθ/ (US) · /bˈəʊθ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/both
Updated: 2026-05-01

## Senses

### 1. two things together

determiner · CEFR A1

used to refer to two people or things together.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. the two of them

pronoun · CEFR A1

used on its own to mean 'the two people' or 'the two things'.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. both... and...

conjunction · CEFR A1

used with 'and' to emphasize that two different things are true.

For teachers: 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.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.