"kill two birds with one stone" meaning in English

See kill two birds with one stone in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-kill two birds with one stone.ogg [Australia] Forms: kills two birds with one stone [present, singular, third-person], killing two birds with one stone [participle, present], killed two birds with one stone [participle, past], killed two birds with one stone [past]
Etymology: Apparently coined by Dr. John Bramhall, Bishop of Derry, in a 1646 letter to Thomas Hobbes, later published in 1656. Compare earlier stop two gaps with one bush. Etymology templates: {{m|en|stop two gaps with one bush}} stop two gaps with one bush Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} kill two birds with one stone (third-person singular simple present kills two birds with one stone, present participle killing two birds with one stone, simple past and past participle killed two birds with one stone)
  1. (idiomatic) To solve two problems with one single action. Wikipedia link: Cicero, Epistulae ad Familiares Tags: idiomatic Synonyms: feed two birds with one scone Related terms: at one blast, one fell swoop, stop two gaps with one bush, while one is at it Translations (solve two problems at once): twee vlieë met een klap slaan (Afrikaans), bir güllə ilə iki dovşan vurmaq (Azerbaijani), lazhañ div voualc'h gant ur maen (Breton), တစ်ချက်ခုတ် နှစ်ချက်ပြတ် (tachkyakhkut hnachkyakprat) (Burmese), matar dos pardals d'un tret (Catalan), matar dos ocells d'un tret (Catalan), بە بەردێک دوو چۆلەکە بکوژە (be berdêk dû çoleke bikuje) (Central Kurdish), 一石二鳥 (Chinese Cantonese), 一石二鸟 (jat¹ sek⁶ ji⁶ niu⁵) (Chinese Cantonese), 一箭雙鵰 (Chinese Cantonese), 一箭双雕 (jat¹ zin³ soeng¹ diu¹) (Chinese Cantonese), 一雞兩味 (Chinese Cantonese), 一鸡两味 (alt: jat¹ gai¹ loeng⁵ mei⁶⁻²) (Chinese Cantonese), 一舉兩得 (Chinese Cantonese), 一举两得 (jat¹ geoi² loeng⁵ dak¹) (Chinese Cantonese), 一石二鳥 (Chinese Mandarin), 一箭雙雕 (Chinese Mandarin), 一箭双雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo) (Chinese Mandarin), 一舉兩得 (Chinese Mandarin), 一举两得 (yī jǔ liǎng dé) (Chinese Mandarin), zabít dvě mouchy jednou ranou (Czech), slå to fluer med et smæk (Danish), twee vliegen in één klap slaan (Dutch), trafi du celojn per unu ŝtono (Esperanto), tapma kaks kärbest ühe hoobiga (Estonian), tappaa kaksi kärpästä yhdellä iskulla (Finnish), faire d’une pierre deux coups (French), ერთი გასროლით ორი კურდღლის მოკვლა (erti gasrolit ori ḳurdɣlis moḳvla) (Georgian), zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen (German), μ' ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια (m' éna smpáro dyo trygónia) (Greek), לתפוס שתי ציפורים במכה אחת (Hebrew), एक पंथ दो काज (ek panth do kāj) (Hindi), két legyet üt egy csapásra (Hungarian), slá tvær flugur í einu höggi (Icelandic), sekali mendayung, dua-tiga pulau terlampaui (Indonesian), dhá éan a mharú leis an urchar amháin (Irish), prendere due piccioni con una fava (Italian), 一挙両得 (ikkyo ryōtoku) (Japanese), Duo parietes de eadem fidelia dealbare (english: Cicero, Ad Familiares 7.29.2.) (Latin), nošaut divus zaķus ar vienu šāvienu (Latvian), vienu šūviu nušauti du zuikius (Lithuanian), zwou Mécken op ee Schlag kréien (Luxembourgish), sambil menyelam minum air (Malay), slå to fluer i en smekk (Norwegian Bokmål), slå to fluger i ein smekk (Norwegian Nynorsk), با یک تیر دو نشان زدن (bâ yek tir do nešân zadan) (Persian), upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu (Polish), matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só (Portuguese), omorî două muște dintr-o lovitură (Romanian), împușca doi iepuri dintr-un foc (Romanian), убити једним ударцем двије мухе [Cyrillic] (Serbo-Croatian), ùbiti jèdnīm ùdārcem dvȉje mùhe [Roman] (Serbo-Croatian), matar dos pájaros de un tiro (Spanish), slå två flugor i en smäll (Swedish), ఒకేదెబ్బకు రెండు పిట్టలు (okēdebbaku reṇḍu piṭṭalu) (Telugu), ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัว (ying bpeun nát dieow dâai nók sŏng dtua) (Thai), bir taşla iki kuş vurmak (Turkish), một công đôi việc (Vietnamese), một công đôi chuyện (Vietnamese), nhất cử lưỡng tiện (Vietnamese), nhất tiễn song điêu (Vietnamese), một mũi tên trúng hai đích (Vietnamese), lladd dau aderyn â'r un garreg (Welsh), lladd dau aderyn ag un ergyd (Welsh), lladd dwy frân ag un ergyd (Welsh), כאַפּן צען סאָראָקעס בײַ איין וויידל (khapn tsen sorokes bay eyn veydl) (Yiddish)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for kill two birds with one stone meaning in English (15.0kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "stop two gaps with one bush"
      },
      "expansion": "stop two gaps with one bush",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Apparently coined by Dr. John Bramhall, Bishop of Derry, in a 1646 letter to Thomas Hobbes, later published in 1656.\nCompare earlier stop two gaps with one bush.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "kills two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "killing two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "killed two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
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    },
    {
      "form": "killed two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "kill two birds with one stone (third-person singular simple present kills two birds with one stone, present participle killing two birds with one stone, simple past and past participle killed two birds with one stone)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Arabic terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Central Kurdish terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Hebrew terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
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          "name": "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
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          "kind": "other",
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Yiddish terms with redundant script codes",
          "parents": [
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Biking to work kills two birds with one stone. It saves money travelling and will help to lose weight.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To solve two problems with one single action."
      ],
      "id": "en-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone-en-verb-2Xj0~hH5",
      "links": [
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To solve two problems with one single action."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "at one blast"
        },
        {
          "word": "one fell swoop"
        },
        {
          "word": "stop two gaps with one bush"
        },
        {
          "word": "while one is at it"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "feed two birds with one scone"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "af",
          "lang": "Afrikaans",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "twee vlieë met een klap slaan"
        },
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "note": "ضَرَب عُصْفُورَيْن بِحَجَر وَاحِد (ḍarab ʕuṣfūrayn bi-ḥajar wāḥid, literally “to hit two sparrows with one stone”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "note": "մի գնդակով երկու նապաստակ խփել (mi gndakov erku napastak xpʿel, literally “to hit two rabbits with one bullet”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "az",
          "lang": "Azerbaijani",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "bir güllə ilə iki dovşan vurmaq"
        },
        {
          "code": "bn",
          "lang": "Bengali",
          "note": "এক ঢিলে দুই পাখি মারা (ek ḍhile dui pakhi mara, literally “to hit two birds with one stone”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "br",
          "lang": "Breton",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "lazhañ div voualc'h gant ur maen"
        },
        {
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "note": "да убиеш с един куршум два заека (da ubieš s edin kuršum dva zaeka, literally “to kill two rabbits with one bullet”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "my",
          "lang": "Burmese",
          "roman": "tachkyakhkut hnachkyakprat",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "တစ်ချက်ခုတ် နှစ်ချက်ပြတ်"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "matar dos pardals d'un tret"
        },
        {
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "matar dos ocells d'un tret"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一石二鳥"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "jat¹ sek⁶ ji⁶ niu⁵",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一石二鸟"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一箭雙鵰"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "jat¹ zin³ soeng¹ diu¹",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一箭双雕"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一雞兩味"
        },
        {
          "alt": "jat¹ gai¹ loeng⁵ mei⁶⁻²",
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一鸡两味"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一舉兩得"
        },
        {
          "code": "yue",
          "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
          "roman": "jat¹ geoi² loeng⁵ dak¹",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一举两得"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一石二鳥"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "note": "一石二鸟 (yī shí èr niǎo, literally “one stone, two birds”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一箭雙雕"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yī jiàn shuāng diāo",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一箭双雕"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一舉兩得"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "yī jǔ liǎng dé",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一举两得"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "zabít dvě mouchy jednou ranou"
        },
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "slå to fluer med et smæk"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "twee vliegen in één klap slaan"
        },
        {
          "code": "eo",
          "lang": "Esperanto",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "trafi du celojn per unu ŝtono"
        },
        {
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "tapma kaks kärbest ühe hoobiga"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "tappaa kaksi kärpästä yhdellä iskulla"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "faire d’une pierre deux coups"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "erti gasrolit ori ḳurdɣlis moḳvla",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "ერთი გასროლით ორი კურდღლის მოკვლა"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "με ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια (me éna smpáro dyo trygónia, literally “with one shot, two pigeons”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "m' éna smpáro dyo trygónia",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "μ' ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "לתפוס שתי ציפורים במכה אחת"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "ek panth do kāj",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "एक पंथ दो काज"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "két legyet üt egy csapásra"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "slá tvær flugur í einu höggi"
        },
        {
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "sekali mendayung, dua-tiga pulau terlampaui"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "dhá éan a mharú leis an urchar amháin"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "prendere due piccioni con una fava"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "一石二鳥 (いっせきにちょう, isseki ni chō, literally “one stone, two birds”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "ikkyo ryōtoku",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "一挙両得"
        },
        {
          "code": "kk",
          "lang": "Kazakh",
          "note": "бір оқпен екі қоян ату (bır oqpen ekı qoän atu, literally “to kill two birds with one shot”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "note": "일석이조(一石二鳥) (ilseog-ijo, literally “one stone, two birds”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "ckb",
          "lang": "Central Kurdish",
          "roman": "be berdêk dû çoleke bikuje",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "بە بەردێک دوو چۆلەکە بکوژە"
        },
        {
          "code": "la",
          "english": "Cicero, Ad Familiares 7.29.2.",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "Duo parietes de eadem fidelia dealbare"
        },
        {
          "code": "lv",
          "lang": "Latvian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "nošaut divus zaķus ar vienu šāvienu"
        },
        {
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "vienu šūviu nušauti du zuikius"
        },
        {
          "code": "lb",
          "lang": "Luxembourgish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "zwou Mécken op ee Schlag kréien"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "sambil menyelam minum air"
        },
        {
          "code": "mn",
          "lang": "Mongolian",
          "note": "нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах (neg sumaar xojor tuulaj buudax, literally “to kill two hares with one bullet”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "slå to fluer i en smekk"
        },
        {
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "slå to fluger i ein smekk"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "bâ yek tir do nešân zadan",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "با یک تیر دو نشان زدن"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "omorî două muște dintr-o lovitură"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "împușca doi iepuri dintr-un foc"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "уби́ть одни́м вы́стрелом двух за́йцев pf (ubítʹ odním výstrelom dvux zájcev, literally “to kill two hares with one shot”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic"
          ],
          "word": "убити једним ударцем двије мухе"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "tags": [
            "Roman"
          ],
          "word": "ùbiti jèdnīm ùdārcem dvȉje mùhe"
        },
        {
          "code": "si",
          "lang": "Sinhalese",
          "note": "එක ගලෙන් කුරුල්ලෝ දෙන්නයි (eka galen kurullō dennayi, literally “two birds by one stone”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "matar dos pájaros de un tiro"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "slå två flugor i en smäll"
        },
        {
          "code": "te",
          "lang": "Telugu",
          "roman": "okēdebbaku reṇḍu piṭṭalu",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "ఒకేదెబ్బకు రెండు పిట్టలు"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "ying bpeun nát dieow dâai nók sŏng dtua",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัว"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "bir taşla iki kuş vurmak"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "note": "вби́ти двох зайці́в одни́м по́стрілом (vbýty dvox zajcív odným póstrilom, literally “kill two hares in one shot”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "một công đôi việc"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "một công đôi chuyện"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "nhất cử lưỡng tiện"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "nhất tiễn song điêu"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "một mũi tên trúng hai đích"
        },
        {
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "lladd dau aderyn â'r un garreg"
        },
        {
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "lladd dau aderyn ag un ergyd"
        },
        {
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "lladd dwy frân ag un ergyd"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "note": "שיסן צוויי האָזן מיט איין שאָס (shisn tsvey hozn mit eyn shos, literally “shoot two hares with one shot”)",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "roman": "khapn tsen sorokes bay eyn veydl",
          "sense": "solve two problems at once",
          "word": "כאַפּן צען סאָראָקעס בײַ איין וויידל"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Cicero",
        "Epistulae ad Familiares"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-kill two birds with one stone.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b5/En-au-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone.ogg/En-au-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/En-au-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "kill two birds with one stone"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "stop two gaps with one bush"
      },
      "expansion": "stop two gaps with one bush",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Apparently coined by Dr. John Bramhall, Bishop of Derry, in a 1646 letter to Thomas Hobbes, later published in 1656.\nCompare earlier stop two gaps with one bush.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "kills two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "killing two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "killed two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "killed two birds with one stone",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "kill two birds with one stone (third-person singular simple present kills two birds with one stone, present participle killing two birds with one stone, simple past and past participle killed two birds with one stone)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "at one blast"
    },
    {
      "word": "one fell swoop"
    },
    {
      "word": "stop two gaps with one bush"
    },
    {
      "word": "while one is at it"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Arabic terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Central Kurdish terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Hebrew terms with redundant script codes",
        "Japanese terms with redundant script codes",
        "Mandarin terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Mongolian terms with redundant script codes",
        "Telugu terms with redundant script codes",
        "Yiddish terms with redundant script codes"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Biking to work kills two birds with one stone. It saves money travelling and will help to lose weight.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To solve two problems with one single action."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "problem",
          "problem"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To solve two problems with one single action."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "Cicero",
        "Epistulae ad Familiares"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-kill two birds with one stone.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b5/En-au-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone.ogg/En-au-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/En-au-kill_two_birds_with_one_stone.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "feed two birds with one scone"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "af",
      "lang": "Afrikaans",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "twee vlieë met een klap slaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "note": "ضَرَب عُصْفُورَيْن بِحَجَر وَاحِد (ḍarab ʕuṣfūrayn bi-ḥajar wāḥid, literally “to hit two sparrows with one stone”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "note": "մի գնդակով երկու նապաստակ խփել (mi gndakov erku napastak xpʿel, literally “to hit two rabbits with one bullet”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "az",
      "lang": "Azerbaijani",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "bir güllə ilə iki dovşan vurmaq"
    },
    {
      "code": "bn",
      "lang": "Bengali",
      "note": "এক ঢিলে দুই পাখি মারা (ek ḍhile dui pakhi mara, literally “to hit two birds with one stone”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "br",
      "lang": "Breton",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "lazhañ div voualc'h gant ur maen"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "note": "да убиеш с един куршум два заека (da ubieš s edin kuršum dva zaeka, literally “to kill two rabbits with one bullet”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "my",
      "lang": "Burmese",
      "roman": "tachkyakhkut hnachkyakprat",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "တစ်ချက်ခုတ် နှစ်ချက်ပြတ်"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "matar dos pardals d'un tret"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "matar dos ocells d'un tret"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一石二鳥"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "jat¹ sek⁶ ji⁶ niu⁵",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一石二鸟"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一箭雙鵰"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "jat¹ zin³ soeng¹ diu¹",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一箭双雕"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一雞兩味"
    },
    {
      "alt": "jat¹ gai¹ loeng⁵ mei⁶⁻²",
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一鸡两味"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一舉兩得"
    },
    {
      "code": "yue",
      "lang": "Chinese Cantonese",
      "roman": "jat¹ geoi² loeng⁵ dak¹",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一举两得"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一石二鳥"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "note": "一石二鸟 (yī shí èr niǎo, literally “one stone, two birds”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一箭雙雕"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yī jiàn shuāng diāo",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一箭双雕"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一舉兩得"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "yī jǔ liǎng dé",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一举两得"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "zabít dvě mouchy jednou ranou"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "slå to fluer med et smæk"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "twee vliegen in één klap slaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "eo",
      "lang": "Esperanto",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "trafi du celojn per unu ŝtono"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "tapma kaks kärbest ühe hoobiga"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "tappaa kaksi kärpästä yhdellä iskulla"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "faire d’une pierre deux coups"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "erti gasrolit ori ḳurdɣlis moḳvla",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "ერთი გასროლით ორი კურდღლის მოკვლა"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "με ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια (me éna smpáro dyo trygónia, literally “with one shot, two pigeons”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "m' éna smpáro dyo trygónia",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "μ' ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "לתפוס שתי ציפורים במכה אחת"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "ek panth do kāj",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "एक पंथ दो काज"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "két legyet üt egy csapásra"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "slá tvær flugur í einu höggi"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "sekali mendayung, dua-tiga pulau terlampaui"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "dhá éan a mharú leis an urchar amháin"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "prendere due piccioni con una fava"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "一石二鳥 (いっせきにちょう, isseki ni chō, literally “one stone, two birds”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "ikkyo ryōtoku",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "一挙両得"
    },
    {
      "code": "kk",
      "lang": "Kazakh",
      "note": "бір оқпен екі қоян ату (bır oqpen ekı qoän atu, literally “to kill two birds with one shot”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "note": "일석이조(一石二鳥) (ilseog-ijo, literally “one stone, two birds”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "ckb",
      "lang": "Central Kurdish",
      "roman": "be berdêk dû çoleke bikuje",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "بە بەردێک دوو چۆلەکە بکوژە"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "english": "Cicero, Ad Familiares 7.29.2.",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "Duo parietes de eadem fidelia dealbare"
    },
    {
      "code": "lv",
      "lang": "Latvian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "nošaut divus zaķus ar vienu šāvienu"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "vienu šūviu nušauti du zuikius"
    },
    {
      "code": "lb",
      "lang": "Luxembourgish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "zwou Mécken op ee Schlag kréien"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "sambil menyelam minum air"
    },
    {
      "code": "mn",
      "lang": "Mongolian",
      "note": "нэг сумаар хоёр туулай буудах (neg sumaar xojor tuulaj buudax, literally “to kill two hares with one bullet”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "slå to fluer i en smekk"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "slå to fluger i ein smekk"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "bâ yek tir do nešân zadan",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "با یک تیر دو نشان زدن"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "omorî două muște dintr-o lovitură"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "împușca doi iepuri dintr-un foc"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "уби́ть одни́м вы́стрелом двух за́йцев pf (ubítʹ odním výstrelom dvux zájcev, literally “to kill two hares with one shot”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic"
      ],
      "word": "убити једним ударцем двије мухе"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "tags": [
        "Roman"
      ],
      "word": "ùbiti jèdnīm ùdārcem dvȉje mùhe"
    },
    {
      "code": "si",
      "lang": "Sinhalese",
      "note": "එක ගලෙන් කුරුල්ලෝ දෙන්නයි (eka galen kurullō dennayi, literally “two birds by one stone”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "matar dos pájaros de un tiro"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "slå två flugor i en smäll"
    },
    {
      "code": "te",
      "lang": "Telugu",
      "roman": "okēdebbaku reṇḍu piṭṭalu",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "ఒకేదెబ్బకు రెండు పిట్టలు"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "ying bpeun nát dieow dâai nók sŏng dtua",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัว"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "bir taşla iki kuş vurmak"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "note": "вби́ти двох зайці́в одни́м по́стрілом (vbýty dvox zajcív odným póstrilom, literally “kill two hares in one shot”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "một công đôi việc"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "một công đôi chuyện"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "nhất cử lưỡng tiện"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "nhất tiễn song điêu"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "một mũi tên trúng hai đích"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "lladd dau aderyn â'r un garreg"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "lladd dau aderyn ag un ergyd"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "lladd dwy frân ag un ergyd"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "note": "שיסן צוויי האָזן מיט איין שאָס (shisn tsvey hozn mit eyn shos, literally “shoot two hares with one shot”)",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "roman": "khapn tsen sorokes bay eyn veydl",
      "sense": "solve two problems at once",
      "word": "כאַפּן צען סאָראָקעס בײַ איין וויידל"
    }
  ],
  "word": "kill two birds with one stone"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.