Basic+ Word of the Day: both

both (adjective, pronoun)

We both love you!

We use the word both when we talk about two things or people that are the same in some way.

• Laura and Fred both like skiing.
• Carrots and potatoes are both vegetables.

We can also use both to talk about two things that are equal in some way.

• "Is this one your favorite?" "No, I like them both."

Don't confuse it with

Neither is also a word that we use to talk about two people or things that are the same in some way. Both tells us what two things do or are, and neither tells us what they don’t do or aren’t. For example, the opposite of “Both of us have a dog” (“You and I have a dog”) is “Neither of us has a dog” (“You and I don’t have a dog”). We normally use a plural verb (have) with both and a singular verb (has) with neither.

In pop culture

Both and neither are in the song “Tale As Old As Time” from Beauty and the Beast. Listen as Mrs. Potts describes Beauty and the Beast as, “Both a little scared, neither one prepared.” If you are scared, it means that you are nervous or afraid to do something.