and/or

American  

[and-awr] / ˈændˈɔr /

conjunction

1. (used to imply that either or both of the things mentioned may be affected or involved).

   insurance covering fire and/or wind damage.

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and/or British  

conjunction

1. (coordinating) used to join terms when either one or the other or both is indicated

   passports and/or other means of identification

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and/or Idioms  

1. Both or either of two options. For example, His use of copyrighted material shows that the writer is careless and/or dishonest. This idiom originated in legal terminology of the mid-1800s.

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Usage

The combination and/or is used primarily in business and legal writing: All dwellings and/or other structures on the property are included in the contract. Because of these business and legal associations, some object to the use of this combination in general writing, where it occasionally occurs: She spends much of her leisure time entertaining and/or traveling. In such writing, either and or or is usually adequate. If a greater distinction is needed, another phrasing is available: Would you like cream or sugar, or both?

Many people think that and/or is only acceptable in legal and commercial contexts. In other contexts, it is better to use or both: some alcoholics lose their jobs or their driving licences or both (not their jobs and/or their driving licences )

Example Sentences

In this pushback against devices, the district would “encourage schools to utilize laptop carts and/or computer labs for second through fifth grade, while reducing the use of one-to-one devices.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

Asked by AFP, the EU delegation in Turkmenistan said: "We leave a decision on a potential Trans-Caspian Pipeline to Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and/or other parties interested in investing in it financially."

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

At the moment, this is set at 250kw, rather than the maximum recharge limit of 350kw which can be applied when a driver has lifted off the throttle and/or is braking.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

There’s not enough and/or you have to play Whac-A-Mole to find the switches for every lamp.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Their touch, combined with a touch from me and/or Sheed, can unstick a person, permanently freeing them from their frozen state.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles