How do I search for text that simultaneously matches two different patterns using Vim's AND operator?

Explanation

Vim's \& operator lets you intersect two patterns so the match must satisfy both simultaneously. Unlike \| (OR), which finds text matching either branch, \& requires the matched text to satisfy all branches at once — the final match is the text captured by the rightmost branch.

How it works

• /A\&B — matches text that satisfies both A and B at the same position
• The full extent of A is checked against the start of the match, but the matched text is what B captures
• This makes \& ideal for adding constraints like line length, context, or content requirements

Example

Find TODO comments only on lines longer than 80 characters:

/.\{80,\}\&.*TODO

This matches TODO (the right branch), but only where the same line also satisfies .\{80,\} (80+ characters from the line start).

Another example — find standalone numbers (words made entirely of digits):

/\<\w\+\>\&\d\+

This matches only words that are also pure digit sequences, filtering out words like abc123.

Tips

• Use \& to layer conditions that are hard to express in a single branch
• Multiple \& operators can be chained: /A\&B\&C
• In very-magic mode (\v), & has special meaning (repeat of previous match), so use \& explicitly or use \m magic mode for \&
• See :help /\& for the full specification