have one's cake and eat it

A form of have one's cake and eat it too — To benefit by having two things which are mutually incompatible (such as eating a piece of cake and yet still possessing that piece for future use).

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Meanings

verbhave one's cake and eat it (third-person singular simple present has one's cake and eats it, present participle having one's cake and eating it, simple past had one's cake and ate it, past participle had one's cake and eaten it)

present singular third person has one's cake and eats it · participle present having one's cake and eating it · past had one's cake and ate it · participle past had one's cake and eaten it

  1. alternativeAlternative form of have one's cake and eat it too.
Cite this entry
APA

have one's cake and eat it. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20cake%20and%20eat%20it

MLA

“have one's cake and eat it.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20cake%20and%20eat%20it. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “have one's cake and eat it,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/have%20one's%20cake%20and%20eat%20it.

Source: have one's cake and eat it on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.