"to be the best of both worlds" / "to have the best of both worlds"

Meaning: a situation when a person can enjoy two different opportunities or things that usually cannot happen or be enjoyed together; having advantages or benefits from two separate things

Similar Expressions

• My family owned an apartment in the city and a small house in the countryside. So, we could experience the best of both worlds.
• My family owned an apartment in the city and a small house in the countryside. So, we could enjoy city things and countryside things.
• My family owned an apartment in the city and a small house in the countryside. So, we enjoyed both.

When do we use it?

We use this when we are in a lucky situation and we can enjoy different things from separate sources. Or something has benefits or advantages from two different places.

For example, imagine we live in an area that is very close to the city, but also very quiet and not busy. Then we can enjoy things in the city, but we can also enjoy fresh air and quiet like the countryside. In this case, we can say that we enjoy the best of both worlds. We can enjoy the great things from the city and we can enjoy the advantages of the countryside.

How do we use it?

We can use this expression after a "be verb" or after verbs like "enjoy", "have", etc.

• It was the best of both worlds.
• We enjoyed the best of both worlds.
• It had the best of both worlds.

Example English Conversations

A) Did you enjoy your trip?
B) Yes. The city was amazing. It had tons of traditional things to see and enjoy, but it also had a lot of cool modern places. So, it was the best of both worlds.

A) He has the power and salary of a manager, but the responsibility of an intern.
B) That sounds like the best of both worlds.

It is important that you know English expressions and idioms if you want to have fluent English conversations with native English speakers or other advanced English speakers. Do not try to learn many expressions and idioms at one time. Instead, study a few of these free English lessons each week and learn English expressions and words well. This will help your English vocabulary improve steadily, and you will start speaking English like a native speaker.