Meanings
present singular third person kills two birds with one stone · participle present killing two birds with one stone · participle past killed two birds with one stone · past killed two birds with one stone
- idiomaticTo solve two problems with one single action.
Biking to work kills two birds with one stone. It saves money travelling and will help to lose weight.
1 more example
In favouring the well-connected, politically and culturally sophisticated Italian merchants and diplomats who regularly arrived in England on curial business Henry killed two birds with one stone, gratifying popes by the attention and respect shown to their intimates, and employing them as his own eyes and ears at Rome […].
2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 116Synonyms: feed two birds with one scone
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo solve two problems with one single action.
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans twee vlieë met een klap slaan
- twee vlieë met een klap slaansolve two problems at once
Arabic اِصْطَادَ عُصْفُورَيْن بِحَجَر وَاحِد
- اِصْطَادَ عُصْفُورَيْن بِحَجَر وَاحِد (iṣṭāda ʕuṣfūrayn biḥajar wāḥid)solve two problems at once
Bengali এক ঢিলে দুই পাখি মারা
- এক ঢিলে দুই পাখি মারা (ek ḍhile dui pakhi mara)solve two problems at once
Catalan matar dos pardals d'un tret, matar dos ocells d'un tret
- matar dos pardals d'un tretsolve two problems at once
- matar dos ocells d'un tretsolve two problems at once
Chinese Cantonese 一石二鳥 /一石二鸟, 一箭雙鵰 /一箭双雕
- 一石二鳥 /一石二鸟 (jat¹ sek⁶ ji⁶ niu⁵)solve two problems at once
- 一箭雙鵰 /一箭双雕 (jat¹ zin³ soeng¹ diu¹)solve two problems at once
- 一雞兩味 /一鸡两味solve two problems at once
- 一舉兩得 /一举两得 (jat¹ geoi² loeng⁵ dak¹)solve two problems at once
Chinese Mandarin 一箭雙鵰 /一箭双雕, 一舉兩得 /一举两得
- 一箭雙鵰 /一箭双雕 (yī jiàn shuāng diāo)solve two problems at once
- 一舉兩得 /一举两得 (yī jǔ liǎng dé)solve two problems at once
Czech zabít dvě mouchy jednou ranou
- zabít dvě mouchy jednou ranousolve two problems at once
Danish slå to fluer med et smæk
- slå to fluer med et smæksolve two problems at once
Dutch twee vliegen in een klap slaan
- twee vliegen in een klap slaansolve two problems at once
Esperanto trafi du celojn per unu ŝtono
- trafi du celojn per unu ŝtonosolve two problems at once
Estonian tapma kaks kärbest ühe hoobiga
- tapma kaks kärbest ühe hoobigasolve two problems at once
Finnish tappaa kaksi kärpästä yhdellä iskulla
- tappaa kaksi kärpästä yhdellä iskullasolve two problems at once
French faire d'une pierre deux coups
- faire d'une pierre deux coupssolve two problems at once
German zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen
- zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagensolve two problems at once
Greek μ’ ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια
- μ’ ένα σμπάρο δυο τρυγόνια (m’ éna smpáro dyo trygónia)solve two problems at once
Hebrew תפס שתי ציפורים במכה אחת
- תפס שתי ציפורים במכה אחתsolve two problems at once
Hindi एक पंथ दो काज
- एक पंथ दो काज (ek panth do kāj)solve two problems at once
Hungarian két legyet üt egy csapásra
- két legyet üt egy csapásrasolve two problems at once
Icelandic slá tvær flugur í einu höggi
- slá tvær flugur í einu höggisolve two problems at once
Indonesian sekali mendayung, dua-tiga pulau terlampaui
- sekali mendayung, dua-tiga pulau terlampauisolve two problems at once
Irish dhá éan a mharú leis an urchar amháin
- dhá éan a mharú leis an urchar amháinsolve two problems at once
Italian prendere due piccioni con una fava
- prendere due piccioni con una favasolve two problems at once
Japanese 一石二鳥, 一挙両得
- 一石二鳥 (isseki ni chō)solve two problems at once
- 一挙両得 (ikkyo ryōtoku)solve two problems at once
Korean 일석이조
- 일석이조 (ilseog-ijo)solve two problems at once
Latin Duo parietes de eadem fidelia dealbare
- Duo parietes de eadem fidelia dealbaresolve two problems at once
Latvian nošaut divus zaķus ar vienu šāvienu
- nošaut divus zaķus ar vienu šāvienusolve two problems at once
Lithuanian vienu šūviu nušauti du zuikius
- vienu šūviu nušauti du zuikiussolve two problems at once
Malay sambil menyelam minum air
- sambil menyelam minum airsolve two problems at once
Norwegian Bokmål slå to fluer i en smekk
- slå to fluer i en smekksolve two problems at once
Norwegian Nynorsk slå to fluger i ein smekk
- slå to fluger i ein smekksolve two problems at once
Persian با یک تیر دو نشان زدن
- با یک تیر دو نشان زدن (bâ yek tir do nešân zadan)solve two problems at once
Polish piec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu, upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu
- piec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniusolve two problems at once
- upiec dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniusolve two problems at once
Portuguese matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada só
- matar dois coelhos com uma cajadada sósolve two problems at once
Romanian omorî două muște dintr-o lovitură, împușca doi iepuri dintr-un foc
- omorî două muște dintr-o loviturăsolve two problems at once
- împușca doi iepuri dintr-un focsolve two problems at once
Russian уби́ть одни́м вы́стрелом двух за́йцев
- уби́ть одни́м вы́стрелом двух за́йцев (ubítʹ odním výstrelom dvux zájcev)solve two problems at once
Spanish matar dos pájaros de un tiro, matar dos pájaros de una pedrada
- matar dos pájaros de un tirosolve two problems at once
- matar dos pájaros de una pedradasolve two problems at once
Swedish slå två flugor i en smäll
- slå två flugor i en smällsolve two problems at once
Thai ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัว
- ยิงปืนนัดเดียวได้นกสองตัว (ying bpeun nát dieow dâai nók sŏng dtua)solve two problems at once
Turkish bir taşla iki kuş vurmak
- bir taşla iki kuş vurmaksolve two problems at once
Vietnamese một công đôi việc, một công đôi chuyện
- một công đôi việcsolve two problems at once
- một công đôi chuyệnsolve two problems at once
- nhất cử lưỡng tiệnsolve two problems at once
- nhất tiễn song điêusolve two problems at once
- một mũi tên trúng hai đíchsolve two problems at once
Welsh lladd dau aderyn â'r un garreg, lladd dau aderyn ag un ergyd
- lladd dau aderyn â'r un garregsolve two problems at once
- lladd dau aderyn ag un ergydsolve two problems at once
- lladd dwy frân ag un ergydsolve two problems at once
Yiddish שיסן צוויי האָזן מיט איין שאָס, כאַפּן צען סאָראָקעס בײַ איין וויידל
- שיסן צוויי האָזן מיט איין שאָס (shisn tsvey hozn mit eyn shos)solve two problems at once
- כאַפּן צען סאָראָקעס בײַ איין וויידל (khapn tsen sorokes bay eyn veydl)solve two problems at once
Cite this entry
kill two birds with one stone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20two%20birds%20with%20one%20stone
“kill two birds with one stone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20two%20birds%20with%20one%20stone. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kill two birds with one stone,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kill%20two%20birds%20with%20one%20stone.
Source: kill two birds with one stone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.