neither

neither — determiner

1. used before a singular noun to show that you are talking about both of two peopl

1.determinerA2
Definition

used before a singular noun to show that you are talking about both of two people or things and saying that not one of them is involved or true.

Example

Neither parent knew that their son had skipped school that day.

neither + singular noun (parent)

The two candidates gave short speeches, but neither speech convinced the voters.

Common collocations
  • neither side
  • neither parent
  • neither team
  • neither answer
  • neither option
Synonyms
  • no

    more general; 'no' works with any number of items, while 'neither' is limited to two

  • not one

    emphatic, used in informal speech to stress that none of the two counts

Antonyms
  • either

    refers to one or the other of two, not both; opposite in meaning when used with negatives

Grammar Patterns

neither + [singular noun]

neither + [singular noun phrase]

Usage Note

The noun after 'neither' is always singular, and the verb that follows must also be singular — even when the noun refers to a group of people, as in 'Neither family was willing to move.'

Common Mistakes

Neither options were good.
Neither option was good.
The noun after 'neither' must be singular, and the verb must agree.
Neither of the answer was correct.' (using 'neither of' with singular noun)
Neither answer was correct.' or 'Neither of the answers was correct.
Use 'neither of' only before plural noun phrases.
Neither my parents knew about the party.
Neither of my parents knew about the party.
When the noun is plural (parents), you need 'neither of' instead of plain 'neither'.

2. used with 'nor' to connect two noun phrases, showing that both are not true and

2.determinerB1
Definition

used with 'nor' to connect two noun phrases, showing that both are not true and that the negative statement applies to each of them.

Example

Neither the manager nor the staff knew about the sudden inspection.

verb agreement with noun after 'nor' (staff = plural → knew)

Devika speaks neither French nor Spanish, so she uses English at work.

Common collocations
  • neither A nor B
  • neither X nor Y
Antonyms
  • both

    'both' affirms the two items together; 'neither...nor' denies each individually

Grammar Patterns

neither + [noun phrase] + nor + [noun phrase]

Usage Note

When two subjects are connected by 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the noun phrase that follows 'nor' — the one closest to the verb. Compare: 'Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.' vs 'Neither the students nor the teacher was ready.'

Common Mistakes

Neither the teacher nor the students was ready.
Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.
The verb agrees with 'students', which is plural.
She neither eats meat or fish.
She eats neither meat nor fish.
Use 'nor', not 'or', with 'neither'. Also, position 'neither' directly before the first item being paired.

neither — pronoun

neither — adverb

neither — conjunction

Synonym discussion

Sense: pronoun/1

'Neither', 'none', and 'either' are all used to talk about choices among items, but they differ in number and polarity. 'Neither' is strictly for two items and carries a negative meaning: 'Neither of the two answers was correct.' 'None' is for three or more items and is also negative: 'None of the ten answers were correct.' 'Either' is for two items but is affirmative — it means 'one or the other': 'Either answer would be fine.' A common error is using 'neither' with more than two items ('Neither of my three brothers...') where 'none' is correct. In informal speech, 'neither' is sometimes extended to multiple items, but careful usage keeps the two-item boundary. Example: 'Neither option works for me' (two options). 'None of the options work for me' (three or more options). 'Either option works for me' (affirmative choice between two).

neither ↗none ↗either ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • one
  • the two

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Neither' traces back to Old English 'nāhwæðer', a blend of 'nā' (not) and 'hwæðer' (which of two — the ancestor of 'whether'). Over time, the word was simplified and re-formed by analogy with 'either': the initial 'n-' (from 'not') was attached to 'either' to create 'neither', first recorded in Middle English around the 13th century. The paired structure 'neither...nor' also developed in Middle English, modelled on the older 'either...or' pattern.