and/or
Americanconjunction
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(used to imply that either or both of the things mentioned may be affected or involved).
insurance covering fire and/or wind damage.
conjunction
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(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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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.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Blackmore admitted unacceptable professional conduct and/or conduct that may bring the profession into disrepute, and failing to maintain professional boundaries, on 24 March.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
That said, ask any candidates if they have revenue-sharing arrangements with any of the products they recommend and/or if they receive commission.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
His high-profile media lawyers, Christian Schertz and Simon Bergmann, have told the BBC that Ulmen has never "produced and/or distributed deepfake videos of Ms Fernandes or any other individuals. Any such claims are false".
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Ask potential insurers about discounts for security systems, smoke detectors, energy rating, having a long-term policy without any payments and/or even being a nonsmoker.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 28, 2026
Only 23 percent of Americans believed black people wanted to marry and/or have sexual relations with whites.5 Clearly, we still had a long way to go.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.