carrot-and-stick

adjective

car·​rot-and-stick ˌker-ət-ᵊn-ˈstik 

ˌka-rət-

: characterized by the use of both reward and punishment to induce cooperation

carrot-and-stick foreign policy

the carrot-and-stick style of sales management

Examples of carrot-and-stick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But all of those potential costs are outweighed by the need to avoid a devastating two-front war. FROM BAD TO WORSE Israel has long believed that its military strength and carrot-and-stick diplomacy could deter Hamas. —James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2023

President Joe Biden's administration insisted that its carrot-and-stick approach of expanding legal routes while imposing more punitive measures on those who enter illegally is working. —Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2023

Monday at the Texas Capitol illustrated the carrot-and-stick approach from the Legislature toward public education this legislative session. —Edward McKinley, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

from the traditional alternatives of driving a donkey on by either holding out a carrot or whipping it with a stick

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above