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

"Yes and no. We will see. Yes and no. He doesn't want, but doesn't want doesn't mean he will not. God bless. God bless, we will be successful. Thank you."

From BBC

Tūtū tilts her head in a way that says yes and no.

From Literature

“Yes. Well, yes and no. It’s been me ever since Birdie died. But I’m not the first woman in our community who’s been the Spirit of the Sea. Other women, for many generations, have done it before me. It’s…well, honestly, it’s a bit of an honor. It was Birdie’s thing first, really.”

From Literature

The answers were, yes, and, no.

From The Wall Street Journal

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