Word.ws English Dictionary

go both ways

go both ways verb: used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, both, ways.

Verb

go both ways (third-person singular simple present goes both ways, present participle going both ways, simple past went both ways, past participle gone both ways)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, both, ways.
    • [...] people generally went by the railroad; that is, decidedly more than went on the dirt road. Witness had seen men go both ways.1907, The Southwestern Reporter, page 571
  2. (informal) To be, or be in, a mutual or reciprocal relationship or obligation.
    • empathy goes both ways
  3. (informal) To be bisexual.
    • I have a straight bitch in the telly going both ways.2004, “How We Do”, in Jayceon Taylor, Mike Elizondo, Curtis J. Jackson, Andre R. Young (lyrics), Andre R. Young and Mike Elizondo (music), The Documentary, performed by The Game (featuring 50 Cent)...
  4. (especially, informal) To be versatile, able to act as either a top or a bottom.
    • When Mark sought my supervision, I taught him the terms top and bottom and explained that gay men usually self-identify as either one or the other. Some men go both ways—calling themselves "versatile"—[…]2011, Joe Kort, Gay Affirmative Therapy for the Straight Clinician, W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 180

Synonyms of go both ways

Forms of go both ways

third-person singular presentgoes both ways
present participlegoing both ways
pastwent both ways
past participlegone both ways

Questions about go both ways

What does go both ways mean?
Go both ways means used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go, both, ways.
What part of speech is go both ways?
Go both ways is a verb.
What is the past tense of go both ways?
The past tense of go both ways is went both ways.

Words near go both ways in the dictionary

  1. go beyond the pale
  2. go big or go home
  3. go Bills
  4. go bitchcakes
  5. go bonkers
  6. go both ways
  7. go brrr
  8. go bush
  9. go bust
  10. go by
  11. go by the board

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: go both ways (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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