Word.ws English Dictionary

one can dish it out, but one can't take it

one can dish it out, but one can't take it phrase: one is able to express thoughts, criticism, or insults towards others, but cannot accept being on the receiving end of the same treatment.

Phrase

one can dish it out, but one can't take it

  1. (idiomatic, informal) One is able to express thoughts, criticism, or insults towards others, but cannot accept being on the receiving end of the same treatment.

Forms of one can dish it out, but one can't take it

alternative formone can dish it, but one can't take it

Questions about one can dish it out, but one can't take it

What does one can dish it out, but one can't take it mean?
One can dish it out, but one can't take it means one is able to express thoughts, criticism, or insults towards others, but cannot accept being on the receiving end of the same treatment.
What part of speech is one can dish it out, but one can't take it?
One can dish it out, but one can't take it is a phrase.

Words near one can dish it out, but one can't take it in the dictionary

  1. one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch
  2. one bad turn deserves another
  3. one big happy family
  4. one brick short of a full load
  5. one by one
  6. one can dish it out, but one can't take it
  7. one can dish it, but one can't take it
  8. one can run but one can't hide
  9. one can't break a stick in a bundle
  10. one can't break a twig in a bundle
  11. one can't break sticks in a bundle

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: one can dish it out, but one can't take it (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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Cite this entry: “one can dish it out, but one can't take it.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/one_can_dish_it_out%2C_but_one_can%27t_take_it. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.