Neither refers to “two things or people that are not the case” or “not one or the other.” It is often used in conjunction with the word nor. For instance, in the sentence “ Neither Tika nor Ike likes to eat sushi,” neither is used to indicate that both Tika and Ika have no interest in sushi.
You use neither in front of the first of two or more words or expressions when you are linking two or more things which are not true or do not happen. The other thing is introduced by 'nor'. Professor Hisamatsu spoke neither English nor German. The play is neither as funny nor as disturbing as Tabori thinks it is.
Although use with or is neither archaic nor wrong, neither is usually followed by nor. A few commentators think that neither must be limited in reference to two, but reference to more than two has been quite common for several hundred years.
While either/or are positive, the word "nor" is a negative conjunction, which means it's telling the reader something is missing. Typically, you'd use "nor" in a pair with the word "neither," but there are also a few other ways to use it. Read on to learn how to correctly use “nor” both with and without “neither.”
Get a quick, free translation! NOR definition: 1. used before the second or last of a set of negative possibilities, usually after "neither": 2…. Learn more.
Learn the meaning of “neither” and “nor,” the rules for using them, and examples of the “neither/nor” construction in literature.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025 nor (nôr; unstressed nər), conj. (used in negative phrases, esp. after neither, to introduce the second member in a series, or any subsequent member): Neither he nor I will be there. They won't wait for you, nor for me, nor for anybody.