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the best of both worlds

the benefits of two different things

In Idioms & Sayings

In more detail

(idiom) the advantages of two different things at the same time, without having to choose between them

Examples

• By working from home three days a week and in the office two days a week, she gets the best of both worlds—the flexibility she wants and face-to-face collaboration with her team.

How to use the best of both worlds

This idiom describes a desirable situation where someone gains advantages from two competing or alternative options simultaneously. It is used in both formal and informal contexts to express satisfaction with a situation that avoids difficult trade-offs. The phrase often appears in marketing, decision-making discussions, and personal reflections about achieving an optimal outcome.

Common phrases

• get the best of both worlds
• offer the best of both worlds
• have the best of both worlds
• the best of both worlds scenario
• the best of both worlds situation

Synonyms

having it both ways · getting the best of both · win-win situation · ideal compromise

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use 'the best of the both worlds' (with the extra definite article 'the'), which is grammatically incorrect; the correct form has only one 'the' at the beginning.

Nearby in Idioms & Sayings

read between the lines, ring a bell, take with a grain of salt, through thick and thin, time flies, under your nose

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained