serve two masters
idiom
: to give equal support to two different causes, groups, etc.
You cannot serve two masters.
Examples of serve two masters in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s forced to serve two masters in a way a Corvette or 911 or Italian exotic simply doesn’t have to.
—
Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
The most impactful and powerful satire can never serve two masters.
—Gloria Alamrew, refinery29.com, 22 Jan. 2024
But the film suffers from its commitment to serve two masters, trying to get at the elusive truth of what transpired between this famous couple while providing a jaundiced view of the way social media has poisoned a collective grasp of truth.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 16 Aug. 2023
According to Frazier, the crisis demonstrated how the supply chain was built primarily to serve two masters: large, institutional buyers and consumers.
—Natalie Burg, Forbes, 5 Apr. 2021
The short answer was the decisions needed to serve two masters.
—Karen Walker, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2021
Halston, an intermittently fascinating but mostly frustrating five-part drama from the House of Ryan Murphy that comes to Netflix on May 14, traces an arguably brilliant man’s futile attempt to serve two masters.
—Judy Berman, Time, 14 May 2021
Weissmann argues that the flawed policy fueled a host of decisions that led the team to write a report that attempted, unsuccessfully, to serve two masters — senior Justice Department lawyers on the one hand, and the public on the other.
—Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2020
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Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 16 Jan. 2025
The most impactful and powerful satire can never serve two masters.
—Gloria Alamrew, refinery29.com, 22 Jan. 2024
But the film suffers from its commitment to serve two masters, trying to get at the elusive truth of what transpired between this famous couple while providing a jaundiced view of the way social media has poisoned a collective grasp of truth.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 16 Aug. 2023
According to Frazier, the crisis demonstrated how the supply chain was built primarily to serve two masters: large, institutional buyers and consumers.
—Natalie Burg, Forbes, 5 Apr. 2021
The short answer was the decisions needed to serve two masters.
—Karen Walker, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2021
Halston, an intermittently fascinating but mostly frustrating five-part drama from the House of Ryan Murphy that comes to Netflix on May 14, traces an arguably brilliant man’s futile attempt to serve two masters.
—Judy Berman, Time, 14 May 2021
Weissmann argues that the flawed policy fueled a host of decisions that led the team to write a report that attempted, unsuccessfully, to serve two masters — senior Justice Department lawyers on the one hand, and the public on the other.
—Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Serve two masters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serve%20two%20masters. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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