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
Clive Owen hopes to divide and conquer with his dual Emmy submissions this year.
—
Clayton Davis, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
That might raise eyebrows from competitors about where that close partnership ends—indeed, whether Xpeng and Volkswagen could strategize to divide and conquer.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024
In short, the Academy Awards’ ability to divide and conquer worked for a number of years.
—Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2024
And then Kate had a hand in that, and obviously Sandra was planting the seed with you to try to divide and conquer.
—EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024
Both have leaders who took office with a populism that caught their opponents off guard, upending their countries’ political establishments with culture wars that helped divide and conquer their critics.
—Gregory Feifer, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2017
For a long time, Netanyahu played a game of divide and conquer, seeking a tame but viable Hamas in Gaza to act as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and ensure that there was no progress toward a Palestinian state.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
The simplest way to parent these ages is to divide and conquer.
—Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
Because that’s as old as Roman times, divide and conquer.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 19 July 2023
Clayton Davis, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
That might raise eyebrows from competitors about where that close partnership ends—indeed, whether Xpeng and Volkswagen could strategize to divide and conquer.
—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 2 Apr. 2024
In short, the Academy Awards’ ability to divide and conquer worked for a number of years.
—Fran Hoepfner, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2024
And then Kate had a hand in that, and obviously Sandra was planting the seed with you to try to divide and conquer.
—EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024
Both have leaders who took office with a populism that caught their opponents off guard, upending their countries’ political establishments with culture wars that helped divide and conquer their critics.
—Gregory Feifer, Foreign Affairs, 15 Feb. 2017
For a long time, Netanyahu played a game of divide and conquer, seeking a tame but viable Hamas in Gaza to act as a counterweight to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and ensure that there was no progress toward a Palestinian state.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
The simplest way to parent these ages is to divide and conquer.
—Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 2023
Because that’s as old as Roman times, divide and conquer.
—Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 19 July 2023
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
Cite this Entry
“Divide and conquer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divide%20and%20conquer. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share