Both Meaning
/bəʊθ/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
detEach of the two; one and the other; referring to two individuals or items.
pronEach of the two, or of the two kinds.
Sentence Examples
I'll get something to drink for both of you.
I don't like both of you going to such a place.
The tournament is open to both amateurs and professionals.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
She invited ____ her mother and her sister to the ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I like ____ of the paint colors, so it is very hard for me to choose.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 21:27:
"He will not bear the loss of his rank, because he can bear the loss of his estate; but he will bear both, because he is prepared for both."
— 1717, Viscount Bolingbroke, Reflexions upon Exile:
"Around a third of both Black and White respondents said they believed the opposition Labour Party to be institutionally racist."
— 2020 June 22, Rob Picheta, “Most Black British people think the Conservative Party is institutionally racist, CNN poll finds”, in CNN:
"The proof (Tables 9 and 10) of idempotence for both OR and AND follows from examining the definition of each operation under the constraint that both inputs have the same value."
— 2022 August 4, William Bahn, “Boolean Algebra Laws—Delving Into Boolean Identities”, in All About Circuits:
"Irregular bedtimes may disrupt healthy brain development in young children, according to a study of intelligence and sleeping habits. ¶ Going to bed at a different time each night affected girls more than boys, but both fared worse on mental tasks than children who had a set bedtime, researchers found."
— 2013 July 19, Ian Sample, “Irregular bedtimes may affect children's brains”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 34:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She invited ____ her mother and her sister to the ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I like ____ of the paint colors, so it is very hard for me to choose.