and/or

[ and-awr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

conjunction

(used to imply that either or both of the things mentioned may be affected or involved):
insurance covering fire and/or wind damage.

and/or

conjunction

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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Usage Note

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?

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Usage

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 )

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Idioms and Phrases

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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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Such voices tend to believe that anyone who would trust Trump’s promises of free money are dumb, dupes, rubes and/or easy marks.

From

Those caught doing so will get a £200 on-the-spot fine in the first instance, rising to an unlimited fine and/or a prison sentence of up to two years for repeat offences.

From

"As the law currently stands, confining an offender to a particular area or restricting an offender from leaving a defined area runs the real risk of breaching both Articles 5 and or 8," he added.

From

"Reeves may not be too far away from having to raise money again in the Autumn Budget, by cutting spending and/or raising taxes, to meet her fiscal rules," said Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist, at Capital Economics.

From

The defendants were all Americans, with extensive military and/or government service.

From

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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