both

pronoun, plural in construction

\ˈbōth

Definition of both

(Entry 1 of 3)

: the one as well as the other both of us

both

conjunction

Definition of both (Entry 2 of 3)

—used as a function word to indicate and stress the inclusion of each of two or more things specified by coordinated words, phrases, or clauses prized both for its beauty and for its utilityhe … who loveth well both man and bird and beast— S. T. Coleridge

both

adjective

Definition of both (Entry 3 of 3)

: being the two : affecting or involving the one and the other both feet both his eyes both these armies

Examples of both in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Conjunction

Case in point: Right after King Arthur cuts off one, then both, of the Black Knight’s arms, a woman walks in with a basket and scoops them up. — Joanne Engelhardt, The Mercury News, "‘Spamalot’ is an infectious crowd-pleaser at Palo Alto Players," 3 May 2017 Get her to the Early Bird, a charming little breakfast spot with locations in both Westminster and DTC that is super casual and super good. — Allyson Reedy, The Know, "We’ve made your Denver Mother’s Day plans based on the kind of mom you have," 23 Apr. 2017 After a bullpen session, Pini suggested Gavin turn his two solid breaking balls (a curveball and a slider) into one really strong pitch, a slurve (combo of both), that became a bit more like a slider. — Mirin Fader, Orange County Register, "Cal State Fullerton pitcher John Gavin won’t settle for anything less than great," 4 Apr. 2017 What are your biggest concerns and priorities at this time — both in terms of the regulatory as well as industry development? — Alicia Wallace, The Cannabist, "Exclusive: Here’s how Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper really feels about marijuana," 31 Mar. 2017 It was built in 1922 at 107 E. Chestnut St. Both the city of Stillwater and Washington County, which had first and second dibs, declined to purchase the building. — Mary Divine, Twin Cities, "New armory in Stillwater will highlight history," 27 Feb. 2017 Neither squad has lost an in-state game yet, as both the Grizzlies (9-1) and the Patriots (10-1) each went 3-1 in their respective brackets in the prestigious Tarkanian Classic from Dec. 16-20 in Las Vegas. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, "5A’s top squads face off as ThunderRidge travels to George Washington," 3 Jan. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The collection has received tons of positive feedback, due to both the availability straight and plus sizes, but also their promotion and e-commerce photos that feature both models side-by-side. — Avery Matera, Teen Vogue, "Hailey Baldwin Launches an Under $100 Collection with PrettyLittleThing," 7 Nov. 2018 In that way, though, Kavanaugh is a comfortable pick for both the political right and the political left — a rarity among Trump decisions. — Jonathan Allen /, NBC News, "Trump goes full establishment with Supreme Court pick," 10 July 2018 But in both the first and second innings, Bush allowed two runners on before escaping. — Brody Miller, NOLA.com, "LSU holds off Mississippi State to win back-and-forth SEC Tournament opener," 22 May 2018 Patrick is the only woman to win an IndyCar race, lead laps in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, win the pole for the Daytona 500, and the highest-finishing woman in both iconic races. — Fox News, "Danica Patrick says Indy car felt 'hard to drive' after first laps since 2011," 2 May 2018 To mark the occasion, fair spokeswoman Pat Szepkowski said both the State of Illinois and the City of St. Charles have declared July 19 as Kane County Fair Day. — Mike Danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Kane County Fair to mark 150 years," 29 June 2018 In both the case of Latanonwich and Zambrano, there appears to be little question about who committed the crime. — BostonGlobe.com, "Should Massachusetts reinstate the death penalty for those who murder police officers?," 22 June 2018 That's why in midterm elections 1982 for Reagan, 1992 for 41, 1994 for Clinton, these were bad results, because people, between both the economy and their views of the sitting president, wanted to send a message to that sitting president. — Fox News, "Judge Approves AT&T-Time Warner Merger," 13 June 2018 Don Kendrick, director emeritus of the Sacramento Chamber Music Society, will serve as the master of ceremonies and conductor for both the rehearsal and the main event. — Anthony Barcellos, sacbee, "How Big Sing California aims to bring joy to six cities and 10,000 performers," 13 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'both.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.