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
The city fixed more than 1,200 areas of sidewalk during the fiscal year that ended last June — triple the previous high from fiscal 2021 — thanks to a carrot-and-stick campaign launched in 2023.
—
David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Experts say California could prove a testing ground for a carrot-and-stick approach to preventing the collapse of insurance markets as growing wildfires, hurricanes and other climate disasters shake up the industry in other states.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
The Trump administration has employed a carrot-and-stick approach to push Venezuela’s leadership to realign with U.S. interests.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The more senior boss, who went by the name Da Hai, spelled out the carrot-and-stick approach more clearly.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 27 Jan. 2026
That contrasts with President Biden’s carrot-and-stick approach, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which offered generous incentives to manufacturers and consumers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
This carrot-and-stick approach complements frameworks like CMMC.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The approach wasn’t exactly carrot-and-stick, noted David Muhammad, executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, a nonprofit that provides technical services to Ceasefire.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Sep. 2021
As with Mubarak, Sisi is using a carrot-and-stick approach in dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood.
—Muhammad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2016
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David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Experts say California could prove a testing ground for a carrot-and-stick approach to preventing the collapse of insurance markets as growing wildfires, hurricanes and other climate disasters shake up the industry in other states.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
The Trump administration has employed a carrot-and-stick approach to push Venezuela’s leadership to realign with U.S. interests.
—Carmen Sesin, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
The more senior boss, who went by the name Da Hai, spelled out the carrot-and-stick approach more clearly.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 27 Jan. 2026
That contrasts with President Biden’s carrot-and-stick approach, including the Inflation Reduction Act, which offered generous incentives to manufacturers and consumers.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
This carrot-and-stick approach complements frameworks like CMMC.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
The approach wasn’t exactly carrot-and-stick, noted David Muhammad, executive director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, a nonprofit that provides technical services to Ceasefire.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Sep. 2021
As with Mubarak, Sisi is using a carrot-and-stick approach in dealing with the Muslim Brotherhood.
—Muhammad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 18 May 2016
Cite this Entry
“Carrot-and-stick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carrot-and-stick. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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