Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kill two birds with one stone

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.30 in modern English

Syllables: kil-l t-wo bird-s with- one -s-tone
IPA

40

Scrabble Score

24

Letters

7

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To solve two problems with one single action.

Example Sentences

"Biking to work kills two birds with one stone. It saves money travelling and will help to lose weight."
"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 […]."

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.

Inflected Forms

kills two birds with one stone (present, singular) killing two birds with one stone (participle, present) killed two birds with one stone (participle, past) killed two birds with one stone (past)

Phrases

two birds with one stone at one blast one fell swoop stop two gaps with one bush while one is at it

Frequently Paired Words

at one blast one fell swoop stop two gaps with one bush while one is at it

Synonyms

feed two birds with one scone

Questions

What does kill two birds with one stone mean?: To solve two problems with one single action.
Where does kill two birds with one stone come from?: 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.

How to pronounce kill two birds with one stone

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