have it both ways

Idioms  

1. Achieve two mutually exclusive objectives, as in Bill wants to have it both ways—to enjoy Christmas at home and to travel with his friends. The related have it all means “to get everything one wants,” as in It's too bad we can't have it all—the wisdom of experience and the fresh enthusiasm of youth. [Early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

have it both ways

This is where Mr. Ballard wants to have it both ways.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Robert Goldman, a war crimes expert at the American University Washington College of Law, said that on energy sites, Trump "can't have it both ways."

From Barron's ● Apr. 2, 2026

Vance is trying to have it both ways.

From Salon ● Mar. 16, 2026

"I just feel like they can't have it both ways," said parent Leanne Hughes.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

The name on her headstone is Mary Roselyn Spinney Beaman, so you might say she got to have it both ways.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick