Word.ws English Dictionary

split the baby

split the baby verb: to resolve a dispute in a way that is disadvantageous to both parties.

Verb

split the baby (third-person singular simple present splits the baby, present participle splitting the baby, simple past and past participle split the baby)

  1. (idiomatic) To resolve a dispute in a way that is disadvantageous to both parties.
    • As the proposal evolved, it is clear that the authors tried to split the baby—benefits would be linked to the worker's covered earnings, out of which contributions would be made, but there would be some subsidization.2012, Sylvester J. Schieber, The Predictable Surprise

Synonyms of split the baby

Forms of split the baby

third-person singular presentsplits the baby
present participlesplitting the baby
past participlesplit the baby
pastsplit the baby

Origin of split the baby

In reference to the Judgment of Solomon.

Questions about split the baby

What does split the baby mean?
Split the baby means to resolve a dispute in a way that is disadvantageous to both parties.
What part of speech is split the baby?
Split the baby is a verb.
What is the past tense of split the baby?
The past tense of split the baby is split the baby.

Words near split the baby in the dictionary

  1. split switches
  2. split tender
  3. split tenders
  4. split test
  5. split tests
  6. split the baby
  7. split the blanket
  8. split the breeze
  9. split the difference
  10. split the G
  11. split the house

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: split the baby (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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