Word.ws English Dictionary

two birds with one stone

two birds with one stone noun: any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.

Noun

two birds with one stone pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic, plural, plural-only) Any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.
    • They talk about how 'these places' [pornographic bookstores] are gathering spots for homosexuals. The implication is that if you close down 'these places' you get two birds with one stone.1985 August 17, Janice Irvine, quoting Nan Hunter, “Meese's Crew Looks at Porn”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 6, page 3
    • On another occasion, when trying to brainstorm things I could do to make myself feel better despite all the pandemic restrictions, Woebot suggested I “try doing something nice for someone in your life,” like make a calming tea for my housemate or check in with a loved one. I poured my mum some...2022 September 27, Barclay Bram, “My Therapist, the Robot”, in The New York Times

two birds with one stone meaning in Arabic

two birds with one stone in Arabic

two things by one action
عُصْفُورَان بِحَجَر وَاحِد ʕuṣfūrān biḥajar wāḥid, طَائِرَان بِحَجَر وَاحِد ṭāʔirān biḥajar wāḥid

Forms of two birds with one stone

alternative formtwo birds, one stone
alternative formtwo birds/one stone
alternative formtwo birds—one stone

Origin of two birds with one stone

From the phrase kill two birds with one stone.

Questions about two birds with one stone

What does two birds with one stone mean?
Two birds with one stone means any two things that were performed or completed at the same time by one action.
What is two birds with one stone in Arabic?
Two birds with one stone in Arabic is عُصْفُورَان بِحَجَر وَاحِد (ʕuṣfūrān biḥajar wāḥid), طَائِرَان بِحَجَر وَاحِد (ṭāʔirān biḥajar wāḥid). See Two birds with one stone meaning in Arabic.
What part of speech is two birds with one stone?
Two birds with one stone is a noun.

Words near two birds with one stone in the dictionary

  1. two and eight
  2. two and ten
  3. two and tens
  4. two bald men fighting over a comb
  5. two beers, please
  6. two birds with one stone
  7. two birds, one stone
  8. two birds/one stone
  9. two birds—one stone
  10. two bits
  11. two bob

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: two birds with one stone (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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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-two birds with one stone.ogg.

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