divide and conquer
idiom
variants
or divide and rule
: to make a group of people disagree and fight with one another so that they will not join together against one
His military strategy is to divide and conquer.
Examples of divide and conquer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Black and brown people were pitted against each other in a tried and tested ‘divide and conquer’ political strategy that was designed to stop the collectively oppressed from uniting and rising up against the oppressor.
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Maame Blue, refinery29.com, 25 June 2024
Our languages have always acknowledged that humanity of familial relationships against the age-old tactic of entities using divide and conquer.
—Tomris Laffly, IndieWire, 20 June 2024
The movement, which was made up of local committees, professional associations, and political parties, was prone to splits, a tendency abetted by the tireless efforts of the two warlords to divide and conquer.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
In a joint statement, Rohingya activists urged the Arakan Army leadership not to fall into the military’s trap of playing divide and conquer by trying to pit the two communities against each other.
—Verena Hölzl, New York Times, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for divide and conquer 
Maame Blue, refinery29.com, 25 June 2024
Our languages have always acknowledged that humanity of familial relationships against the age-old tactic of entities using divide and conquer.
—Tomris Laffly, IndieWire, 20 June 2024
The movement, which was made up of local committees, professional associations, and political parties, was prone to splits, a tendency abetted by the tireless efforts of the two warlords to divide and conquer.
—Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 27 Apr. 2023
In a joint statement, Rohingya activists urged the Arakan Army leadership not to fall into the military’s trap of playing divide and conquer by trying to pit the two communities against each other.
—Verena Hölzl, New York Times, 3 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for divide and conquer
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divide and conquer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near divide and conquer
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“Divide and conquer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divide%20and%20conquer. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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