nei·ther

(nē′thər, nī′-)

adj.

Not one or the other; not either: Neither shoe feels comfortable.

pron.

Not either one; not the one or the other: Neither of the twins is here. Neither will do. Neither of them is incorrect.

conj.

1. Not either; not in either case. Used with the correlative conjunction nor: Neither we nor they want it. She neither called nor wrote. I got neither the gift nor the card.

2. Also not: If he won't go, neither will she.

adv.

Similarly not; also not: Just as you would not, so neither would they.

[Middle English, from Old English nāwther, nāhwæther (influenced by æghwæther, ægther, either) : nā, not; see ne in Indo-European roots + hwæther, which of two; see k^wo- in Indo-European roots.]

Usage Note: According to the traditional rule, neither is used only to mean "not one or the other of two." To refer to "none of several," none is preferred: None (not neither) of the three opposition candidates would make a better president than the incumbent. · The traditional rule also holds that neither is grammatically singular: Neither candidate is having an easy time with the press. However, it is often used with a plural verb, especially when followed by of and a plural: Neither of the candidates are really expressing their own views. · As a conjunction neither is properly followed by nor, not or, in formal style: Neither prayers nor curses (not or curses) did any good. See Usage Notes at either, every, he¹, none, nor¹, or¹.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

neither

(ˈnaɪðə; ˈniːðə)

determiner

a. not one nor the other (of two); not either: neither foot is swollen.

b. (as pronoun): neither can win.

conj

(coordinating)

a. (used preceding alternatives joined by nor) not: neither John nor Mary nor Joe went.

b. another word for nor²

adv

(sentence modifier) not standard another word for either⁴

[C13 (literally, ne either not either): changed from Old English nāwther, from nāhwæther, from nā not + hwæther which of two; see whether]

Usage: A verb following a compound subject that uses neither… should be in the singular if both subjects are in the singular: neither Jack nor John has done the work

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

nei•ther

(ˈni ðər, ˈnaɪ-)

conj.

1. not either, as of persons or things specified (usu. fol. by nor): Neither John nor Betty is at home.

2. nor; nor yet; no more: Bob can't go; neither can I.

adj.

3. not either; not the one or the other: neither path.

pron.

4. not either; not one person or the other; not one thing or the other: Neither is to be trusted. Neither of the keys fits the lock.

[1150–1200; Middle English, =ne not + either either; replacing Middle English nawther, Old English nāwther, nāhwæther (nā not, no¹ + hwæther which of two; see whether)]

usage: When neither, a singular form, is followed by a prepositional phrase with a plural object, there is a tendency, esp. in speech and less formal writing, to use a plural verb and pronoun: Neither of the guards were at their stations. In edited writing, however, singular verbs and pronouns are more common: Neither of the guards was at his station. This use of a singular verb and pronoun is usually recommended by usage guides. Subjects connected by neither…nor take singular verbs and pronouns when both subjects are singular, plural when both are plural. Usage guides commonly say that when a singular and a plural subject are joined by these correlatives, the subject nearer the verb determines the verb: Neither the mayor nor the demonstrators have yielded. Neither the demonstrators nor the mayor has yielded. Practice varies, however, and often the presence of one plural subject, no matter what its position, results in a plural verb.

pron: See either.

neither

1. 'neither' and 'neither of'

You use neither or neither of to make a negative statement about two people or things. You use neither in front of the singular form of a countable noun. You use neither of in front of a plural pronoun or a plural noun phrase beginning with the, these, those, or a possessive.

So, for example, you can say 'Neither child was hurt' or 'Neither of the children was hurt'. There is no difference in meaning.

Neither man spoke or moved.

Neither of them spoke for several moments.

Be Careful!
Don't use 'neither' without of in front of a plural form. Don't say, for example, 'Neither the children was hurt'. Also, don't use 'not' after neither. Don't say, for example, 'Neither of the children wasn't hurt'.

People sometimes use a plural form of a verb after neither of and a noun phrase. For example, they say 'Neither of the children were hurt'.

Neither of them are students.

Neither of them were listening.

This use is acceptable in conversation and in less formal writing, but in formal writing you should always use a singular form of a verb after neither of.

2. 'neither' in replies

When a negative statement has been made, you can use neither to show that this statement also applies to another person or thing. You put neither at the beginning of the clause, followed by an auxiliary verb, a modal, or be, then the subject. You can also use nor in the same way with the same meaning.

'I didn't invite them.' – 'Neither did I.'

If your printer does not work, neither will your fax or copier.

Douglas can't do it, and nor can Gavin.

See neither ... nor

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

neither - not either; not one or the other

incomplete, uncomplete - not complete or total; not completed; "an incomplete account of his life"; "political consequences of incomplete military success"; "an incomplete forward pass"

Translations

لَا هَذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ لا....ولا لَا...وَلَاوَلا واحِد منهُما

ani ... aniani jedennikdotaké nežádný

heller ikkehverken … elleringeningen afingen af dem

auch nicht kein keiner keiner von beiden weder

μήτε ούτε ούτε … ούτε κανείς από τους δύο κανένας από τους δύο

tampoco ninguno ninguno de los dos ni ningún

ei ..eikäei kumpikaankumpikaan

aucun aucun des deux ni ni … ni ni l'un ni l'autre

nijedanniti

egyik sem

hvorugur

nessuno dei due n né né l'uno né l'altro neanche

･･･もまた･･･でないどちらも･･･でないどちらも･･･ないまた･･･でない

...도 ...도 아니다...도 또한 ...아니다어느 쪽도 ... 아니다어느것도~아니다

nei vienasnei... nei

neviens

evenmin geen van beide noch… noch

heller heller ikke ingen ingen av ingen av dem

ani również nie żaden

nem nenhum tampouco

ни один никакой

ingeningenderainte heller

ไม่ใช่ทั้งสองไม่ทั้งสองต่างก็ไม่

hiç birihiçbir hiçbiri ne o, ne bu

cả hai đều khôngkhông cái nào trong hai cái

两者都不两者都不的既不...也不

neither

[ˈnaɪðəʳ]

A. ADV neither ... nor → ni ... ni
neither he nor I can go → ni él ni yo podemos ir
he neither smokes nor drinks → ni fuma ni bebe
that's neither here nor there (fig) → eso no viene al caso

B. CONJ → tampoco
if you aren't going, neither am I → si tú no vas, yo tampoco
"I don't like it" - "neither do I" → -a mí no me gusta -a mí tampoco
neither will he agree to sell it → ni consiente en venderlo tampoco

C. PRON neither of them has any money → ninguno de los dos tiene dinero, ni el uno ni el otro tiene dinero
neither of them saw it → ni el uno ni el otro lo vio

D. ADJ → ninguno de los/las dos
neither car is for sale → ninguno de los dos coches está a la venta

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

neither

[ˈniːðə^r ˈnaɪðə^r]

adj → aucun(e) des deux
Neither team can appear too confident → Aucune des deux équipes ne peut se montrer trop confiante.

pron → ni l'un(e) ni l'autre
Carrots or peas? - Neither, thanks → Des carottes ou des petits pois? - Ni l'un ni l'autre merci.
Neither of them is coming → Aucun des deux ne vient.

conj
neither do I → moi non plus
I don't like him. - Neither do I! → Je ne l'aime pas. - Moi non plus!
I never learned to swim and neither did they → Je n'ai jamais appris à nager et eux non plus.
and neither do ... → et .... non plus
I didn't move and neither did Claude → Je n'ai pas bougé et Claude non plus.
Britain does not agree and neither do Denmark, Portugal and Ireland → La Grande-Bretagne n'est pas d'accord, et le Danemark, le Portugal et l'Irlande non plus.
neither have I → moi non plus
I've never been to Spain. - Neither have I → Je ne suis jamais allé en Espagne. - Moi non plus.

adv
neither ... nor ... → ni ... ni ...
Neither Sarah nor Tamsin is coming to the party → Ni Sarah ni Tamsin ne vient à la soirée.
neither good nor bad → ni bon ni mauvais
neither here nor there (= irrelevant)
That is neither here nor there → Là n'est pas la question.
Whether or not he realised the fact was neither here nor there → Qu'il ait été conscient ou non du fait, là n'était pas la question.

neither

adv neither … nor → weder … noch; he neither knows nor cares → er weiß es nicht und will es auch nicht wissen

conj → auch nicht; if you don’t go, neither shall I → wenn du nicht gehst, gehe ich auch nicht; I’m not going — neither am I → ich gehe nicht — ich auch nicht; he didn’t do it (and) neither did his sister → weder er noch seine Schwester haben es getan; I can’t go, neither do I want to → ich kann und will auch nicht gehen

adj → keine(r, s) (der beiden); neither one of them → keiner von beiden; in neither case → in keinem Fall, weder in dem einen noch in dem anderen Fall

pron → keine(r, s); neither of them → keiner von beiden; which will you take? — neither → welches nehmen Sie? — keines (von beiden)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

neither

[ˈnaɪðəʳ]

1. adv → né
neither he nor I can go → né io né lui possiamo andare
neither good nor bad → né buono/a né cattivo/a
he neither smokes nor drinks → non fuma né beve
he likes neither the house nor the people → non gli piace né la casa né la gente
that's neither here nor there (fig) → questo non c'entra

2. conj → neanche, nemmeno, neppure
if you aren't going, neither am I → se tu non ci vai, non ci vado neanch'io or nemmeno io
I don't like it - neither do I → non mi piace - nemmeno a me
I didn't move and neither did he → io non mi mossi e nemmeno lui
...neither did I refuse → ... ma non ho nemmeno rifiutato

3. adj on neither side → né da una parte né dall'altra
neither story is true → nessuna delle due storie è vera

4. pron → né l'uno/a né l'altro/a, nessuno/a dei/delle due
neither of them has any money → né l'uno né l'altro or nessuno dei due ha soldi, non hanno soldi né l'uno né l'altro

neither

(ˈnaiðə) , ((especially American) ˈni:ðə(r)) adjective, pronoun

not the one nor the other (of two things or people). Neither window faces the sea; Neither of them could understand Italian.

neither … nor

used to introduce alternatives which are both negative. Neither John nor David could come; He can neither read nor write.

As with either … or , the verb usually follows the noun or pronoun that comes closest to it: Neither Kate nor Susan is responsible ; Neither she nor her children speak English .

neither

→ لَا هَذَا وَلَا ذَاكَ, لا....ولا, لَا...وَلَا ani ... ani, ani jeden, také ne, žádný ze dvou heller ikke, hverken … eller, ingen af, ingen af dem auch nicht, keiner, keiner von beiden κανείς από τους δύο, κανένας από τους δύο, μήτε, ούτε … ούτε ni, ningún, ninguno, ninguno de los dos, tampoco ei ..eikä, ei kumpikaan, kumpikaan aucun, aucun des deux, ni … ni, non plus nijedan, niti né, neanche, nessuno dei due ･･･もまた･･･でない, どちらも･･･でない, どちらも･･･ない, また･･･でない ...도 ...도 아니다, ...도 또한 ...아니다, 어느 쪽도 ... 아니다, 어느것도~아니다 evenmin, geen van beide, noch… noch heller, heller ikke, ingen, ingen av dem ani, również nie, żaden nem, nenhum, tampouco ни один, никакой ingen, ingendera, inte heller ไม่ใช่ทั้งสอง, ไม่ทั้งสอง, ต่างก็ไม่ hiçbir, hiçbiri, ne o, ne bu cả hai đều không, không cái nào trong hai cái, không phải cái này mà cũng không phải cái kia 两者都不, 既不...也不