yes and no

Idioms

In some ways and not others, as in Did you enjoy yourself?—Yes and no, I liked the music itself but hated the conductor. This idiom, always a reply to a question, was first recorded in 1873.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Asked whether it would matter to the luxury consumer, the vice president and fashion director at Nordstrom, Rickie De Sole, suggested the answer might be yes and no.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Maybe yes, maybe no, quite possibly yes and no.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2025

In paranormal investigations ghosts are asked to move the rods to answer "yes" and "no" to questions.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2024

Luckily, AI models aren't static tools with predefined yes and no pathways.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2023

Wagging like yes, yes, yes, and no, no, no at the same time.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023