kill two birds with one stone

Cultural  

1. To accomplish two objectives with a single action: “If we can get gas and have lunch at the next rest stop, we will be killing two birds with one stone.”

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kill two birds with one stone Idioms  

1. Achieve two ends with a single effort, as in As long as I was in town on business, I thought I'd kill two birds and visit my uncle too. This expression is so well known that it is often shortened, as in the example. [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

I had all of those thoughts, but I’m doing it the day before the Hollywood Bowl so I can kill two birds with one stone.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2025

“If you can kill two birds with one stone, I’m that kind of person,” she said, adding that “being able to design it and make it more modern-looking is ideal.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2022

Eliminate unnecessary machines, and you kill two birds with one stone.

From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2019

If we’re going to do that, we might as well revive “aerial tramway” and kill two birds with one stone.

From Golf Digest • Jul. 31, 2018

She’d be needing a fresh bar of soap within the hour and could kill two birds with one stone if she got it now.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith