and

¹ American  

[and, uhnd, uhn, n] / ænd, ənd, ən, n /

conjunction

1. (used to connect grammatically coordinate words, phrases, or clauses) along or together with; as well as; in addition to; besides; also; moreover.

   pens and pencils.

2. added to; plus.

   2 and 2 are 4.

3. then.

   He read for an hour and went to bed.

4. also, at the same time.

   to sleep and dream.

5. then again; repeatedly.

   He coughed and coughed.

6. (used to imply different qualities in things having the same name).

   There are bargains and bargains, so watch out.

7. (used to introduce a sentence, implying continuation) also; then.

   And then it happened.

8. Informal. to (used between two finite verbs).

   Try and do it. Call and see if she's home yet.

9. (used to introduce a consequence or conditional result).

   He felt sick and decided to lie down for a while. Say one more word about it and I'll scream.

10. but; on the contrary.

    He tried to run five miles and couldn't. They said they were about to leave and then stayed for two more hours.

11. (used to connect alternatives).

    He felt that he was being forced to choose between his career and his family.

12. (used to introduce a comment on the preceding clause).

    They don't like each other—and with good reason.

13. Archaic. if.

    and you please.

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noun

1. an added condition, stipulation, detail, or particular.

   He accepted the job, no ands or buts about it.

2. conjunction.

idioms

1. and so forth, and the like; and others; et cetera.

   We discussed traveling, sightseeing, and so forth.

2. and so on, and more things or others of a similar kind; and the like.

   It was a summer filled with parties, picnics, and so on.

AND ² American  

[and] / ænd /

noun

Computers.

1. a Boolean operator that returns a positive result when both operands are positive.

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and ¹ British  

/ ən, ənd, ænd /

conjunction

1. along with; in addition to

   boys and girls

2. as a consequence

   he fell down and cut his knee

3. afterwards

   we pay the man and go through that door

4. (intensifier)

   the sauce is good and thick

5. plus

   two and two equals four

6. used to join identical words or phrases to give emphasis or indicate repetition or continuity

   better and better

   we ran and ran

   it rained and rained

7. used to join two identical words or phrases to express a contrast between instances of what is named

   there are jobs and jobs

8. informal used in place of to in infinitives after verbs such as try, go, and come

   try and see it my way

9. Informal spellings: an.   an'.   'n.  an obsolete word for if

   and it please you

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noun

1. (usually plural) an additional matter or problem

   ifs, ands, or buts

-and ² British  

suffix

1. indicating a person or thing that is to be dealt with in a specified way

   analysand

   dividend

   multiplicand

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AND ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Andorra (international car registration)

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Usage

Both and and but, and to a lesser extent or and so, are common as transitional words at the beginnings of sentences in all types of speech and writing: General Jackson thought the attack would come after darkness. And he was right. Any objection to this practice probably stems from the overuse of such sentences by inexperienced writers. When one of these words begins a sentence or an independent clause within a sentence, it is not followed by a comma unless the comma is one of a pair setting off a parenthetical element that follows: John is popular, and he seems to be well adjusted. But, appearances to the contrary, he is often depressed. See also and/or, et cetera, try.

The use of and instead of to after try and wait is typical of spoken language, but should be avoided in any writing which is not informal: We must try to prevent (not try and prevent ) this happening

Etymology

Origin of and¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English and, ond; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German ant, Old Frisian, Gothic and, Icelandic and-; akin to German und, Dutch en, Sanskrit anti

Origin of AND²

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Netflix maintained its full-year forecast of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion in revenue, and a full-year operating margin of 31.5%, up from 29.5% last year.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

The AI “scare trade” hammered software names and professional-services companies earlier this year.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Paulson said a crisis in the Treasury market would differ in a crucial way from the 2008 financial meltdown, when the U.S. government still had enough fiscal capacity to step in and contain the damage.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

Persistent deficits, heavy debt issuance and inflation worries have weighed on longer-term government bonds recently.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

I landed in New York with nothing but the robes on my back and my ancient Staff of Dragonfire, which does not work in this mundane realm.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith